Death's Blossom
by Project Atlas
Summary: Gabriel Reyes has hopes, dreams, and he's willing to fight for them. But to accomplish them, he realizes that he has to work with a lot of dangerous people. Luckily, most of them seem friendly enough. But no soldier walks out of war unchanged. Watch a brave soldier slowly harden into the Talon terrorist known as Reaper, and the relationships he makes in the process.
1. Finding Mercy

_Before anything, I just wanted to say that this is my first story. I've always wanted to write my own stories after reading countless amazing fanfictions. By no means is my writing perfect, so feel free to write reviews or criticism. I'd be more than happy to take them into consideration. Introductions being done, enjoy chapter one of Death's Blossom._

 _The cover picture used was from pin/471892867188000858/_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

"You sure this is it?"

"Of course I'm sure. Ana said that this was where we could find the doctor."

I looked over at Jack Morrison, who was looking back and forth from his holopad to the old, worn-down building in front of them. The two of us had been partners since our days in the soldier enhancement program.

To be honest, the guy didn't look all that impressive when we first met. I figured he was just gonna be another overconfident asshole who wanted to be the _hero_ of the new world. I wasn't a hundred percent wrong.

You could tell just by looking at him that he wanted to be something bigger, that he wanted to _be_ the difference that would make the world a better place. You have to respect that in a man.

There's too many people out there in the world too scared to make the tough choices. Too afraid to fight back against the people that hurt us. That's why Jack and I hit it off so well. And with the Overwatch task force behind us, I could tell that the two of us were going to make history.

Yet, here we are. Our first mission and we're already lost.

While he normally hid his thoughts behind a shroud of confidence, even I could tell that Jack didn't trust the building. _So much for "Of course"_.

" _Ana_ , huh? Isn't that a little informal for someone you just met?"

Jack snapped out of his confusion as he leaned his head towards me and grinned,

"Yeah, but hey. If we're going to be working together, it helps to be comfortable with each other. Besides, I don't really want to get on her bad side. I've heard some scary stuff about her shot with the rifle." The blonde man said, shuddering.

He looked up at the building one more time before walking up to the doors.

"Anyways, we may as well check. Can you imagine how much of a difference this doctor could make if she joined us in Overwatch?" He said as his eyes lit up with excitement.

I sighed. The man was too innocent for his own good. You'd think a soldier, of all people, would know how harsh the world really is. Still, he's right. Searching an old building is better than wandering around Switzerland, hoping to get lucky. I followed up the steps after him,

"Have you even thought about the idea that maybe she won't _want_ to join Overwatch? Not everyone is as upbeat as you are about fighting in a war."

He looked at me like I said something that had never crossed his mind before. _Why am I not surprised?_

I deadpanned, "Of course not. Let's just get this over with. From what I hear, she's not a big fan of our work."

Jack pushed the doors open, and I could still see the hope in his eyes.

"She'll help us. I know she will. She has to."

The soldier walked up to an elderly woman who was sitting on a couch with a dog. She was small and looked like she was weak enough to be blown away by a gust of wind.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Sorry to bother you, but you wouldn't happen to know where we could find a Ms. Angela Ziegler, would you?"

The woman turned her attention from her dog as she looked up at us.

"You know the doctor? You know the angel?"

Jack and I looked at each other, unsure with how to continue the conversation.

"The _angel_?" We both asked simultaneously.

The old woman closed her eyes and nodded her head as if it was the most obvious thing the world. She opened her eyes and leaned in, like she was telling a story to her grandchildren.

"Yes, that's exactly what she is. An angel. So much of us had begun to lose hope when the attacks happened. We thought that no one would come to help us. Then, it was as if God had answered our prayers. He showed mercy to the injured, and sent a beautiful angel to save us from the pain."

Jack spoke up, clearly intrigued with the story. "And the angel- she's here? Right now?"

The woman's eyes grew wide as she nodded her head again. "Yes, she's upstairs working on more of her patients. Are you friends of hers?"

Jack looked back at me before responding to the woman, "Yes. Well, we're hoping that's the case."

The old woman looked confused, but before she could ask anything else, Jack and I quickly moved upstairs where the woman had mentioned earlier.

We searched every room, until we came to one with several people lying on the ground. They weren't dead, but they were hurt. Badly. A majority of them seemed patched up, for the most part, and asleep. There were a few younger looking nurses walking around, helping whoever they could. I reached out and pulled one from the crowd.

"Hey. You know where we can find an Angela Ziegler?"

I might have picked the wrong guy to ask, cause this kid looked scared out of his mind. He shook as if he was looking at the devil. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but I couldn't make out a word that he was saying.

"Uh-uh-um, I'm-I'm-I'm s-sorry. I don't-I-I can't-I have to-to get to-to-to w-work. Th- there-"

Jack put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a concerned look. "Gabe, maybe we should ask someone else. It looks like you're scaring him."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't getting anywhere with this babbling brook. I let go of him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Look, kid. Relax. I'm not gonna bite you, okay? All I want to know is where I can find a doctor named Angela Zie-"

"Ziegler?"

I looked over my shoulder to see a woman with light blonde hair, looking up at me. She had pale white skin and wore a lab coat with a blue sweater and a pencil skirt underneath. I would have thought that she looked pretty cute if she wasn't glaring a hole through me.

"That would me, and I would appreciate it if you didn't harass my assistants. Who are volunteers might I add. I do not believe that they decided to help me in order to be met with a brute who is unable to communicate through words instead of force."

As the assistant shakingly runs off to tend to the patients, I stood there in shock. _Did this bitch just call me a brute? What the hell is up her?_ I scowled, and started to walk towards her, getting ready to go all out, when Jack jumped in front of me before I could say anything.

"I'm so sorry about that. My friend just happens to have an intimidating appearance. My name is Jack Morrison, and that's Gabriel Reyes. We're members of the Overwatch task force, and we were hoping to-"

"I know who you are. And I know what Overwatch is. I refuse to take part in any organization that uses violence to solve their problems," She snaps, "and before you can say anything else, the answer is _no_. I will not offer any of my knowledge, much less my assistance to a belligerent group such as _Overwatch_."

Jack flinched as this woman spit venom, attacking everything he believed in. I can see him try to recover as he reaches out and gently lays his hand on her arm.

"Please Angela, if you'll just hear us out-"

"Don't touch me," She snatches her arm away from Jack's grasp. "and you will refer to me as Doctor until I say otherwise."

 _Ooh, so much for the ol' Morrison Charm._ It wasn't often you'd see Jack talk to a girl, and fail to convince them to cooperate. _Alright, times up. It's my turn now._

"Listen," I sighed, as I brushed past Morrison and stepped up in front of the doctor, "We're not here to pick a fight. You don't like the way we do things, we got it."

"Then you know-"

" _But_ , if you would just shut up for a second and listen, you'd hear how that could change."

This time, the doctor was the one shocked into silence.

"Believe it or not, we don't want to go out there and fight. So many people get caught and injured in battle. There were a lot of close friends of mine who became casualties in war. You don't know how much it kills me to see the strongest men I've ever known give up as they let themselves die to escape from the pain.

I'm tired of seeing good people die. I'm tired of watching the innocent try to run, only to see them killed. That's why we _need_ you. We've seen the work that you can do. You've taken men who were on the brink of death and gave them a second chance. You've taken people who were considered lost causes, and let them fight back.

If you don't understand the difference that you're making, look around. You've helped all these people from dying. You've given them hope, when they've had none. They see you as an angel, 'cause of how you've saved them. All we're asking- my friend and I- all we're asking is that you let us help you."

The doctor blinks twice. "How could you ever help me?"

"By giving you the opportunity you need to save more people. I can tell just by looking at you. You're worn out, tired. You're doing all that you can to help these people, but you can't do it by yourself. Even with all these assistants, you're still carrying most of the work.

If you let us help you, we can give you a workplace. Big enough to hold whatever materials and machines you need, and with enough financial backing to do as much research as you want. You'll be given the resources and the medical staff you need to progress your research as much as necessary."

Her brows knit together before she swallows and asks the final question, "So, what you're asking is-"

At this point, Jack had recovered enough to take charge again. He stepped forward and reached a hand out to the doctor.

"Will you join us, as a member of Overwatch?"

Her eyes dart back and forth from me to Jack. She closed her eyes and sighed before looking back at the patients lined up across the floor.

"But- but what about the injured here. I won't leave them to suffer again." She looked back at us, and for the first time this entire visit, I saw something. I saw helplessness. I saw a cry for help. So, I swallowed and took a deep breath.

"We will personally station forces here to protect these citizens. I promise, nothing will happen to them. I'll even request to have a professional medical squad sent to finish up what you've started here."

"So," Jack and I both looked at each other and nodded before he pulled out a badge with the Overwatch insignia engraved onto it. She looked at it with wide eyes before looking back at us, holding her breath, waiting for the words that would forever bind our fates together.

"Are you with us?"

* * *

 _And that was it! That was the first chapter of Death's Blossom. As you can see, the writing is a little off at points, but I promise it'll get better over time. I'll try to be releasing chapters as often as possible, but school is starting soon, so I may not have as much time as I do now. So, I'm going to try to push as many chapters as I can out while I still have the time. Don't forget to leave reviews so I can know how I'm doing, and thanks for reading!_


	2. A New Dawn

_Alright guys! Chapter two of Death's Blossom! This one's gonna be another chapter for set up. Not a lot of action's happening in this chapter, but a little romance is introduced. Not a whole lot, but a little. It's kind of like a sneak peek at what's to come. I have a lot planned for the future of this story, and I hope I can keep it going. Anyways, that's enough of me talking. Enjoy!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

"I've gotta say, I'm impressed."

I stopped halfway across the steps of the building and turned around to see a blonde man with a grin that would make anyone think that he just won the lottery.

"Impressed with what?"

Jack rolled his eyes and gestured towards the doors. "With how you handled that situation. I'll be honest, when she called you a brute, I could have sworn you were ready to shoot her down on the spot."

"Oh please. She's necessary to the team. We need her expertise if we really want to make a difference in the world."

Jack paused for a moment and stared at me with wide eyes, before abruptly breaking out in laughter.

"What? What's so funny, Morrison?"

The man was bent over, his body quaking with how much he's laughing. He was able to just barely look up with one teary eye, "It's- It's just that you sounded a lot like me just now."

"That's it? Just because I said something remotely similar to what you say, you're on the verge of tears? That's pathetic."

"Call it what you will, it shows that we're getting closer." Jack says as he straightened his back. He's still sporting a cheshire grin, but he's started to settle down. "I'm lucky to have you as a partner. If it weren't for you, I would've failed that mission, and she would have refused to join Overwatch. So, thanks."

"Yeah, whatever. Don't get too used to it. I'm not going to save your ass every time you need a bailout." I looked away at the helicopter which had already started to ready for flight. _Closer, huh?_

"She was kind of cute, right?"

 _What?_ I looked back to see Jack scratching his cheek with a single finger, looking kind of flushed. _Oh, no way. I can't believe this._

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Jack narrowed his eyes, "What? What's so funny?"

I smirked, "Look who's talking like _me_ now?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"What seems to be the problem now?"

Jack and I let go of each other's collars and straighten up as we turn to see Angela Ziegler walking out of the doors with 3 rolling suitcases and 2 duffel bags that look way heavier than she should be able to carry. She dropped her luggage and set a hand on her hip, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'm gone for ten minutes and you're already at each other's throats? You really should be considerate of the fact that you're acting as representatives for a large organization."

Jack folds his arms before smirking at the doctor. "Hey, we got you to join us, right? If you ask me, that makes us pretty decent representatives."

"Decent sounds like a pretty good description." She says as she smirks back. She gestures to the bags on the ground before looking at the two of us, raising a brow.

"Now if you gentlemen would, I'd appreciate some help with my luggage."

Jack looked back at me expectantly. _Oh no. I don't think so._ I grab him by the shoulder and give him a supporting smile before leaning in, "You want her? _You deal with her._ " I whisper, shoving him towards the bags.

Scowling at me, Jack straightens his back and looks down at the doctor. He coughs into a fist and sports the charming smile.

"Ahem. Yes, of course. It's only right that we help you with your bags. If I may?"

The doctor giggles and grabs one of her duffel bags and shoves it into his arms. "Thank you, Jack Morrison. You're a true hero." The weight visibly drags his arms down, but Jack forces a smile and starts to walk it over to the helicopter.

As he passed by me, he gave me the most deadly glare I'd ever seen on him. I tried to choke down a laugh, but I couldn't stop the smirk that crept its way to the surface.. _He'll probably get me back for that somehow._ I walked up to the doctor and watch with her as the well-toned soldier lugs the duffel bag up the ramp.

"You know, Doc, you did only leave us for ten minutes. How'd you manage to pack so much in so little time."

Ziegler looked bothered as her eyes shifted to the floor. She whispered quietly enough to the point where I could barely hear her.

"I'll be honest. I had already packed before you arrived."

 _Huh, that's… unexpected. I guess she was-_

"I was getting ready to leave." She said as she looked up into my eyes.

"I had spent so long helping the patients here, and I know they needed me, but I needed to continue my studies. So, I started to pack up my belongings. But, before I knew it, there were more patients than the assistants could handle. So, I decided to stay for as long as I could before my research demanded that I leave."

I looked into her eyes for what seemed like hours. Her blue eyes seemed to draw me in more and more the longer I looked at them. Once her words registered in my mind, I blinked before giving her an encouraging smile. "That's… very commendable of you. It was a selfless act made in a time when you could have chosen to leave at a moment's notice."

"Was it though? I feel like I betrayed them. You said they call me an angel, but what angel considers abandoning the poor and the innocent when they need her the most."

She was in a lot of pain. There were tears beginning to form in her eyes, and my heart dropped. _Now would've been a great time for Jack to be here. I can't handle this sort of situation._

"Look, Doctor, I understand what you mean. It's not easy deciding if you should do what the people need or what you need. But you have to understand this. You aren't just some guardian for them to hang on to. You can't be stuck in a nest, making sure that everyone's okay all the time. At some point, they're going to have to live without you.

I honestly believe that they want the best for you. As much as they want you to stay, I think even they understand that you have so much more potential outside of a single room. They'd want you to spread your wings and fly. Fly to the dawn of a new age, where we can live without war and without loss."

Then, it got real quiet. The doctor was looking away, and her body was trembling. _Shit, I said the wrong things. Is she crying?_ _Fuck, where the hell is Jack when you need him?_ My throat became dry as I scrambled to think of what to say to fix my mistakes before I heard laughter. I looked at her, confused. She turned around and started laughing outright. She was crying alright, but she didn't look like she was upset.

"I- I can't believe you just said that!" She said as she laughed into her hand. "That line was so _cheesy_!"

"Oh, shut up!" I rubbed my neck as I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "I don't usually do this sort of shit. Jack normally handles the _talk_ parts of the missions."

Ziegler just kept laughing with no regards to what I was saying. "Whatever, I'm out of here. You can wait here, Doc. I'll get you when the rest of your bags are ready to go."

"Wait," I felt her grab my hand before I could go anywhere. _What now?_ I internally groaned.

"You can call me Angela."

My face grew flushed as she gave me permission to call her by her name. _Her hands are so soft…_ I quickly turned around and grabbed two duffel bags, which were surprisingly not as bad as Jack made them look. "I should get going. The sooner we get these bags on the ride, the sooner we get you caught up with Overwatch."

"Ah… of course." Angela said as she rubbed her arm. _Angela… why do I feel so weird saying her name._ I carried the bags over to the ramp and saw Jack sitting on a crew seat, messaging someone on his holopad. _Are you kidding me?_

"What do you think you're doing?"

Jack looked up at me and gave me a smug grin. "Oh, I just figured since you looked like you were having a good time talking to the doctor, you'd be willing to carry some other bags with you on the way over."

"I hate you." I said as I walked over to the far end of the cargo bay and dropped the bags into the storage container.

"You love me." He says as he gets up to help me carry the rest of the bags in.

Once we're done, I wave for Angela to come over. She quickly ran over, her hair blowing in the wind from the rotors. Once she boarded the cargo area, she dropped onto one of the crew seats. The helicopter begins to lift and the ramp raises, closing off the cargo bay.

Once we're clear from the ground, she let out a breath that seemed to be stuck in her throat the entire time. Fixing her hair, she looked across the bay to see us sitting across from her.

"So, where _is_ the infamous Overwatch headquarters? I've always wondered, but never took the time to research the location."

Jack chuckled, "Really? I honestly thought you'd be the first person to know where it was."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the Overwatch headquarters is here, in Switzerland."

Angela's face became flushed as she looked down and muttered, "We'll, I've been busy. I haven't had the time to notice that it was built here."

"If you've been in that building helping those people for as long as I think you have, trust me, it's more than understandable."

She looked out the windows as we flew over the mountains of Switzerland. The green landscape looked beautiful in contrast with the mountains coated with a thick blanket of snow. You could see as we flew past town by town how emotional Angela was getting. So, I decided to speak up,

"Everything alright over there, Doc?"

She looks up, startled by the reminder that existed in the helicopter with her. "Ah… yes, I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Well, I never thought I'd ever be a part of an organization like Overwatch. Truthfully, I'm ecstatic about the idea that my research can save the lives of countless people."

Jack stared at Angela for a while before giving her a light smile. "Now I know that we made the right choice."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of responding, Jack just turned his head and looked out a window, the smile plastered on his face.

Angela looked quizzingly at me. I just shrugged and gave her a smile myself.

An hour passes before we see the incredible campus of the Overwatch headquarters. It wasn't anything huge, but it had enough technology and size to hold some of the greatest soldiers, scientists, and leaders.

"Looks like we're here. You ready to start your new life, Doc?" I said as I stood up and walked over to the storage container. The helicopter steadily dropped to a stop, as Jack and Angela stood up. I walked over with the luggage and we watched as the ramp was lowered and Angela walked into her new life.

Her new life as a member of Overwatch.

"This garden is beautiful. There are some plants I've never seen and some others that I've only heard of. Imagine how much new information this could give us- the scientific advancements, the medical progress that can be made." I watch as she analyzed every aspect to the garden of the headquarters- rushing to every meadow, every bush, and every tree.

Making our way up to the laboratory of the campus, once we reached the glass doors, Jack decided that it was his time to leave.

"As much as I'd love to stick around and give you a tour of the campus, I have to give a report of our mission to the board. I'll be back in no time. Until then, Gabe can give you a rundown of the facilities and the people you're going to be working with. Trust me, you're gonna love it here."

Jack gives a wink before heading out towards the main lobby. _Great, by myself… again._

I sigh before turning to Angela. "Alright, Doc. I guess we better get moving. There's a lot of people waiting to meet you."

She takes a deep breath and exhales before smiling and giving me a nod. I smile back before turning to the door and pushing it open. Inside, we see a strange group talking and eating around a table. Most noticeably, a gorilla wearing glasses and eating a banana with peanut butter, a dwarf with a mighty beard laughing while choking down a drink, a younger guy who looks like he came straight out of a western movie, and a giant hulking man patting the dwarf on the shoulder.

The gorilla seems to be the first to notice our entry and waves us over. The others quickly mimic the action. Angela seems nervous, so I reach over and rest a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. She looks up at me and I nod before we start to walk towards her new life.

* * *

 _Okay, that was a little slower paced than I wanted it to be. But, I expected this to happen. The next chapter is going to skip ahead in time a bit, and this is only so I don't keep you guys all stuck up in the introductions and I'm trying to avoid just shoving backstory down your throats. Anyways, same thing as last time, don't forget to give a review or a critique if you have one!_


	3. The First Step

_This chapter's a bit longer than what I usually write, but that's only because I wanted to do a lot with it. I had a lot of ideas, and I figured it'd be if I fit it all into one chapter instead of splitting it up into several anticlimactic portions. I actually really appreciate it when people give me their opinions on how the story's going, that includes positive and negative reviews. So, please let me know how I'm doing!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

" _Get to cover!_ "

I leapt over a counter as bullets flew past overhead. I felt the bullets' impact as they shuddered the wood and metal of the improvised barrier. A Frenchman slid next to me, just barely landing safely as a bullet whizzed past his head.

" _Where's Jack?_ " I asked over the alarm and the deafening sounds of shots being fired from the other side of the room. Each bullet further shattered the glass window panes, which would have showed a nice overview of the city of St. Petersburg.

"I don't know, he must have split off when we were running down the corridor. He must have a plan." The frenchman said before pulling out a pistol and firing over the counter at the Omnics firing at us.

" _Shit_ , what the hell are omnics doing in a Talon base? They shouldn't even be here in the first place!" I shouted before pulling out my own twin shotguns. I stood briefly, knocking out two or three omnic soldiers before taking a shot to the shoulder. Before I hit the ground though, I manage to catch a glimpse of Jack sneaking around in a hallway behind the omnics.

I hit the ground hard, but I couldn't help but laugh. "Jack fucking Morrison, you son of a bitch."

"What? What about Morrison?"

"Forget about it. Gerard, if we get out of here alive, I swear to God, I'm going to have a statue made in your name."

"I am honored, but _why are you laughing_?"

"Gerard, I need you to call for pickup ASAP. You understand?"

It was clear that Gerard wanted to ask more questions, but instead, he forced a nod out. There was a reason that Gerard was one of the best operatives we had against Talon. He knew how to come out on top when it was crunch time.

With pickup on the way, there was only one thing we could do. Stall for time. Groaning, I picked myself off the ground and grabbed my fallen shotguns, then waited for the signal.

Amidst all the chaos, I heard a clinking noise as one of Jack's static grenades rolled into the group of Omnics. Once I heard the explosive go off, I shot up and let all hell loose on the Omnics as they spasmed with the electricity short-circuiting their systems.

At the same time, Jack had also leaped out of his cover and began to shoot them down from behind. Before long, the group of Omnics had been terminated, but the alarm was still going, which meant we didn't have a lot of time before more came as backup.

"Good work, Morrison."

"Same to you, Gabe."

"Gerard's got the pickup on its way."

"Then, our job's almost done."

With that short interaction, we reloaded our weapons and readied ourselves for the hell that was going to come once that backup arrived. We heard heavy footsteps coming from down the hall, which meant that we only had so much time.

"You ready?"

"More ready than you'll ever be, _Jack_."

And with that we let loose a torrent of bullets at the squad of Omnic soldiers charging into the room. While we managed to take down a good amount of them, there were just too many to hold back by ourselves. I grunt as I take two shots to the ribs and another scrapes by my cheek. Jack seems to be slowing down too. He takes a shot to the leg and another through the shoulder. He falls to his knee as the Omnics start to close in on us.

 _Ah damn, it's starting to get rough. We can't die here. We have so much more to do._ I grit my teeth as I pull myself together long enough to get two more shots out before my legs start to collapse. As things started to look dark, I heard a shout muffled in the distance.

"Don't worry my friends. _I am your shield!_ "

With that, a giant man with heavy metal armor crashed through whatever was left of the window and tumbled across the floor before charging at the group of Omnics surrounding us. Jack and I just barely managed to jump out of the way in time as the giant crashes into the group, smashing them like bowling pins. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't satisfying to watch those Omnic bastards shatter like glass.

Jack started coughing in a fit from the debris tossed in the air, but he managed to get out a sentence before he resumed choking on the dust.

"Reinhardt. Am I happy to see you, old friend."

Rising up out of the scattered pieces of scrap, Reinhardt stood proud before rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. "Ahh, I'll feel that in the morning…" He then turns to look at us and grins. "Come, my friends. It appears that we have overstayed our visit. It's time that we left."

I nod in agreement as I drag myself over to Jack to help him up. With both of our strengths, we barely manage to make it halfway across the room before Reinhardt decides to lift both of us up onto his shoulder and carry us over to the window.

There we see Gerard standing on the inside of a helicopter. "Ah, Reinhardt. How good it is to see you again _mon ami_!"

"Yes, we must catch up some time. Perhaps a later time, however." Reinhardt jokes as he looks behind at the alarm, which is still blaring for more backup.

"Agreed. Hop on. The sooner we distance ourselves from this Talon base, the less likely we are to get caught."

With that, Reinhardt tosses me and Jack on to the bay of the transport helicopter. Afterwards, he hops on himself, his weight pulling the helicopter lower. He shuts the doors behind him before lowering himself onto one of the passenger seats. I groan as I drag myself to sit next to him. Jack does that same, but pulls himself across my seat, next to Gerard.

After catching his breath, Reinhardt speaks up, "So my friends, was the mission successful?"

Gerard reaches into his pocket and pulls out a USB drive. "I've got it all here. With this information, we'll know where Talon is holding my wife."

Reinhardt nods, lowering his head. "Poor Amelie. The pain she must be going through. We must find her as soon as possible."

Gerard leans back against his seat, nodding in agreement. "Yes, and once we send our report in, we'll have a squad sent to find her immediately."

"And how are you, Gabriel? I see you have been hurt." Reinhardt turns to tend to my wounds.

I suck in my breath. "I'm _fine_. But you two are right. We can't hold this off. The longer we wait to pursue this mission, the more likely your wife will be dead when we get there."

Gerard lowers his eyes and he becomes visibly more sullen than before. Jack glances over at Gerard before glaring at me. " _Gabe_ , you don't have to remind us what's at stake here. We know what'll happen if we don't get there in time. We'll send a squad out immediately once we get home, Gerard." Jake says as he gives him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

Gerard gives a light laugh, but it's obvious that he's still shaken up by what I said. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Morrison. It's been an honor to finally be able to fight by your side."

Jack chuckled a bit and rubbed his neck, "Oh please, Gerard. There's no need for the _honor_. I'm just a soldier. If anything, _I_ should be honored to be working with you. You're a legend in Overwatch. You've taken down tons of Talon operations single-handedly. You're what a real hero looks like."

My eyes glanced between the two of them. _What a load of crap. "I'm so honored to meet you, Jack Morrison.", "You're my hero, Jack Morrison." "How'd you manage to fight them all off by yourself, Jack Morrison?" Total bullshit. Half the shit that Jack does wouldn't be possible if I wasn't there to back him up._ This happens every mission. We're never short of fan letters and adoration directed towards the _great_ Jack Morrison.

"Is everything okay, my friend? You seem distracted."

I felt weight on my shoulder as I turned my head to see Reinhardt looking at me with concern. I brushed his hand away and grunted. "I'm _fine_. Your concern is wasted on me. You should worry about _Jack_. His leg was shot. If we don't get him help, he won't be able to fight for a while."

The old man didn't look convinced, but I succeeded in drawing his attention away from me. I shifted my head to look out the window. _I could care less about his leg. Maybe once he's out of the picture, people will recognize how much I'm capable of._ I shook my head, _No, don't be stupid, Gabe. He's important to the team. Without him, we'd be losing a valuable soldier._ I let out a sigh as I internally groaned with how petty I was being.

Once we landed, we were met with a squad of medical staff scanning us over and checking for wounds. _Are you idiots blind? We have bullet wounds. It's not that hard to see._

"That's enough. I'll take it from here."

I looked up to see Angela walking up to us with a clipboard in hand.

"They don't need a group of nurses feeling them over right now. What they need is actual help."

She looked me in the eyes and gave me a smile. "It's good to see you're safe, Gabriel."

I gave a smile back before I winced as she slapped my arm. "Now, will you please try to be safer on these missions. I know it's to be expected, but I don't have all the resources in the world. I can't be spending the limited amount that we have on unnecessary injuries."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be in the medbay waiting for you, Doc." I said as I headed off. As I left, I heard Reinhardt call out, "Doctor Ziegler, there is a concern with Jack's condition."

 _I'll be waiting for you, Doc._ I thought as I headed towards the Medbay. It was a fairly clear path until I was met with a younger man wearing a cowboy hat.

"Gabe! Lucky I caught you before you went anywhere. I was hoping that you'd be willin' to help me out with my shot."

He looked at me expectantly as he waiting for my response. _Damn it, Jesse. Can't you see that I'm shot up to hell. Fuck, I'm too exhausted for this now._ I opened my mouth to refuse, but something in his eyes just made me freeze. _Damn it, he looks so innocent._ He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to see what Santa left behind. I sighed,

"Alright, let's head over to shooting range. I'll see how you're doing."

He shot up and cheered, "Whoo hoo! Now, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. I knew you couldn't resist the chance to see your boy workin' the python."

I scowled, "You're not my _boy_. And you better be careful with the words you choose. Someone could misunderstand."

He blinked before leaning his head, "Misunderstand? Misunderstand what?"

 _God help this kid._ "Forget about it. Let's just head over. I'm still tired from the mission."

Once we arrived at the shooting range, I called out. "Athena, bring up a training bot and initiate Training Program: _McCree_." With that, the shooting range began to shift and the distance between us and the wall at the end of the room grew to a hundred feet.

Jesse pulled out his Peacekeeper and gave me a grin. He walked up to the counter and aimed his sights at the training bot that had just rolled into it's position.

"You ready for this shot, ol' man? Watch me knock this bot out in one go!"

I remained silent as I waited for the shot. I watched as he set up his Peacekeeper into position. He stilled himself and slowed his breathing as he aimed with intense precision. He squinted an eye before giving a nod and squeezing the trigger. A shot rang out and a clank quickly echoed.

"Ah hah! I got that rust bucket in one shot, just like I said I would!" Jesse turned to me, holstering his pistol. "Well? What'd ya think?"

"What do I think?" I echoed as I walked over to the counter. I glanced closer and saw where the shot had hit. "First of all, I think you need to learn to shut up when you're taking a shot. Keep talking that much, and your position will found faster than you can load up another bullet."

Jesse didn't seem pleased with that one. He shoved his thumbs in his pockets, "Oh, c'mon, Gabe. You know that was just me foolin' around. I wouldn't talk that much in combat."

"If you don't treat training as serious as actual combat, your habits are going to translate over to the real thing. Get rid of your habits now. If you're as cocky out there when you're preparing a shot as you are in here, you're gonna get yourself killed."

McCree lowered his head and started muttering to himself.

"And another thing. Your shot was off."

His head shot up with wide eyes. " _What?_ That ain't possible. I know for a fact that I got that rust bucket. I saw it with my own eyes!"

I motioned for him to come over. As he walked up to me, I slapped him across the back of his head, knocking his hat off onto the floor. "Just shut up and listen."

"You're not wrong when you say you hit it, but you missed your target."

I pointed a finger out at the bot as his eyes followed my sight. A bullet was lodged into the bot's chest area, where a normal person's heart would be. Jesse looked up at me, confused.

"I don't understand. I hit my mark perfectly. How'd I miss my target?"

I sighed again before looking him straight in the eyes. "Aiming for the heart is fine and all, but it's inefficient. There are several variables that come into play when someone is shot through the chest. You could miss. They could have something protecting their body. You listening?"

Jesse had picked up his hat, but nodded furiously. "Good, then take this lesson to heart."

I pulled his Peacekeeper from his holster and aimed it at the bot. I squeezed the trigger and another shot rang out. I spun his gun around and held it by the barrel before handing it back to him. "Always aim for the head. It secures the kill more certainly than a shot through the chest ever could."

Jesse looked over at the bot and saw its head missing as ash marks decorated the wall and the floor around it. The body of the training bot was left lying on the floor with a sparks flying out where the head should've been.

"Another thing," I say as I motion for him to grab his weapon. "Your weapon isn't in top condition. When was the last time you cleaned it?"

"Yesterday." He states plainly as he reaches to grab the gun.

I pull it back out of his reach. "You should have cleaned it this morning."

Jesse insistently tried to snatch the Peacekeeper away from me. I sighed, "Listen, there's something you have to understand when you're using a weapon."

He paused and lowered his arms. I looked him seriously in the eyes before continuing,

"Your gun is more than just a tool. It's your closest friend. It's the factor that decides whether you live or die. Take care of your gun, and it takes care of you. You'd do well to remember that."

He visibly looked down at the Peacekeeper with a new admiration. I see a smile creep onto his face.

He looked back at me and grabbed his gun before nodding his head. "This is why you're my mentor, Gabe. Always teachin' me what I'm doing wrong without hesitation."

He looked up at me with respect in his eyes. "That's why, once you become the head of Blackwatch, I'll finally be able to watch _your_ back."

I smirked as I leaned my arm on the counter, "Whatever you say, kid. Just keep working on your shot before thinking about- _gah!_ " I sucked in a breath as I pulled my arm away from the counter. I had leaned on a bullet wound. _Damn it, this hurts like hell._

Jesse noticed immediately and finally noticed the blood seeping out of my sleeves. "Aw hell, Gabe. Is that from the mission just now?"

I nodded before turning away so he wouldn't see the pain on my face.

"C'mon, Gabe. Don't be like that. You didn't have to come with me if you were on your way to see the doctor. Go on, get goin'. I'll stick behind and work on my shot a little more." He said as he started to push me towards the door.

"Alright, _alright_! I don't need you shoving me out the door. I'll go myself. And when I get back, you better have that shot perfected."

As the door closed, I saw him grin once again. "I'll do you one better. By the end of today, I'll empty out a full round on the rust bucket's dome. That'll be a shot that leaves your jaw hanging."

 _Yeah, we'll see about that, rookie._ I mused as I was, once again, left alone in the hallway.

He's a good kid. A real vigilante. We found him on the streets one day during a sting operation. Apparently, he was one of their best shots. He even managed to clip me across the shoulder. Probably could've killed me too with the right shot. Once we busted him, I figured I couldn't let talent like that go to waste. So Jack and I convinced the board to let us recruit him and train him as a member of Overwatch.

 _It'd be worth it too, if he'd just listen to me and ditch the carefree attitude._ I grunted to myself before heading off towards the Medbay. _Shit, I hope Angela wasn't waiting for me too long_. I thought as I stopped in front of the door. As I pushed through, the greeting I was expecting was missing. _Huh, where the hell is she?_ I considered going out and searching for her before I heard some voices in the distance. As I crept towards the noise, I heard two familiar voices.

"You are always hurt."

I froze as I heard her voice echo out. I looked around the corner and I saw Jack and Angela sitting together on an operating table. Jack had taken his shirt off and Angela was wrapping bandages around his biceps.

"I'm fine, Ziegler. Check the others first, then work on me." Jack said as he tried to pull his arm away from her grip.

Angela shut him up by tightening her grip around the bullet wound, which visibly worked. She gave an exasperated sigh before continuing to wrap his wound. "I'm a _medic_. I have the right to choose which patient I treat first."

While the doctor was distracted on his wound, I saw Jack turn his head away from her sight. His cheeks were noticeably red. I felt my eye twitch.

I knew that Jack had a thing for Angela. I knew it since day one. Even now, just looking at it makes it seem so obvious. _So, why does it piss me off so much to see them together?_ I felt my fist clench as I grit my teeth.

 _It's cause you feel the same way about her, you moron._ I blinked twice. That's not possible. I felt my body slowly relax. That's not possible. I don't waste time on things as pointless as… as _relationships_. I don't feel anything for anyone. I'm a soldier, I can't waste my emotions on something as petty as…

 _And yet you're willing to waste your emotions on something like jealousy. That's pathetic._ I lowered my head as I bit my lower lip. I hated the fact that they were together. I hated that they were so intimate with each other. But most of all, I hated the fact that I was right.

I straightened my back and walked towards them. They still didn't notice me, so I coughed into my fist. Both of their heads shot up as they turned their attention towards me.

"Ah, Gabe. What's up?" Jack said, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Ah yes. Gabriel, we were looking for you earlier, I couldn't find you, so I just decided to get started on Jack, while we waited."

"Which she shouldn't have. Trust me, there are more people out there with worse injuries than me right now." Jack said, indirectly at Angela.

"Well, since you're so eager to leave the operating table, you're free to go. I've finished treating your wounds anyways." She said as she lightly slapped his shoulder. "Oh, but don't forget. Don't put too much pressure on that leg. It'll take 3 weeks at best for it to heal properly, even with my medicine."

"Got it! Thanks Angela, you're the best." Jack gets up, rolls his shoulder, and walks out, limping past me along the way. I looked back at him, and he was giving me a grin, with a hidden thumbs up.

I didn't share the enthusiasm.

I turned and walked over to operating table and took a seat. Angela sighed and sat down behind me before getting to work, when she tapped my shoulder. I looked back and saw that she was looking at me, expectantly while pulling on the sleeve of my jacket. _Oh, duh._ I hurriedly peeled off my jacket, and the skin tight shirt underneath it.

I'm sure my body would've looked good, as it was well-toned from all the training, but the several scars from his previous battles diminished the appeal. I sucked in a breath as I felt cold water from a sponge drench my back.

Silence filled the air as I didn't know what to say, and she was focusing on patching up my wounds. I winced as she pulled a bullet out of my shoulder. "Ah, I'm sorry. Was that too sudden?"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I just… wasn't prepared." _Come on! Speak up, man. You've fought through wars. You've taken bullets to the ribs. You've been shot through the leg and kept pushing through the fight. Speak up!_

"So, are you and Jack together now?" _What the hell?! What was that?!_ Her hands stilled and I was answered with silence.

"What-what has caused this question to surface?" I looked behind and saw Angela blushing up to her ears. She was looking down to avoid eye contact with me. _Okay, here's my chance to recover._

"Oh, it's nothing. I just figured that was the case, cause you two looked good together." _Shut up! Just shut up while you have the chance! God, you are so stupid!_

"You-you really think so?" I internally beat myself up for getting myself into this situation.

I just chose to keep my mouth shut this time. The entire treatment finished up without any conversation.

"So, I hear that you're planning to lead the Rescue Squad to save Amelie." Angela said as she washed her hands off.

"Yeah… I wanted to be the first one to show Gerard that his wife was safe."

"Are you sure everything will be okay? Who knows what Talon could have done to her while she was captured?"

"She'll be fine, Doc. I promised Gerard that much at least."

There was a pause before I heard Angela take a breath.

"Why don't you call me by my name?"

My head snapped in her direction, "What?"

She's rubbing her arm and her head is turned away, but I see her eyes shift indecisively from me to a wall in the distance. "You were the first person I allowed to call me by my name, but you only call me _Doc_. Why?"

"It's cause…" I looked away and paused before continuing, "It's cause I wanted to be different."

"What?"

I closed my eyes before saying, "Everyone calls you _Angela_ , or _Doctor Ziegler_ , or _Angie_. I wanted to call you something that you would recognize _me_ from."

"Ah... "

"Is-is that a problem?"

"No, no of course not!"

I swallowed down a lump in my throat. I didn't know what to say, so I just tried to change the subject.

"So, yeah. I'm sure Amelie will be fine. We have the coordinates of the Talon base, so once the squad's set up, we'll infiltrate, find her, and extract her from the location. If everything goes well, we'll all be home without injuries."

I hear Angela quietly laugh. "That doesn't sound like a mission led by Gabriel Reyes."

I chuckle, "Well, maybe not. But it'll give you some free time for once."

"Maybe..."

Silence pierces the air again.

"Have you-"

"Do you-"

We both spoke over each other simultaneously.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying?" Angela said, flustered.

"No, after you. It's… my bad." Honestly, I was just as bad as she was.

She paused before whispering under her breath.

"Please come back safely."

 _Please come back safely._ My eyes widen as I processed what was just said. I blinked once before closing my eyes in content and exhaling a breath.

"I wouldn't worry about me, Doc, because…" I say as I get up and start to walk out before stopping just before the corner.

I hear her take a sharp breath as she waits for me to continue. I turn around and give her a genuine smile.

"Because heroes never die."

A week later, we rescued Amelie from a Talon facility.

Two weeks after that, Gerard was found with his throat slit in his bed, and Amelie nowhere to be seen.


	4. Imperfection

_Sorry this took so long guys! I tried to get this out yesterday, but I was just impossibly stuck on one part of this chapter. I tried several revisions, but I just couldn't get past the part I was stuck on. Eventually, I managed to scrap together a chapter I was satisfied with. Sorry if there's a few typos. I'll be checking back in and searching for any. I'm just way too drained from spending a day and half working on this chapter. If you find any typos that I might've missed, be sure to send me a message giving me a heads up. With that, I'm going to leave you to read this chapter of Death's Blossom. Enjoy!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

" _That bitch!_ "

Angela flinched as another another chair smashed against the wall.

"Gabe, you need to _calm down!_ "

" _Fuck off, Jack!_ How can you ask me to calm down, when that bitch just _murdered_ Gerard?"

Angela sat quietly in her chair, watching, as I threw a tantrum in the boardroom with Jack unsuccessfully trying to calm me down.

"You don't know if that's what happened. For all we know, Amelia was captured again and Gerard was assassinated in his sleep."

I rolled my eyes as pounded my fist on the table. "Oh come _on,_ Jack! Even you know how stupid that sounds. Gerard was trained to fight off assassinations. Talon's tried several times to take him out, and they failed each time. This only could have happened by someone from the inside."

This argument went on for what seemed like ages. Angela looked over at Ana, one of the other members sitting in the room. The older woman was drinking tea for most of the conflict, but even she began to grow tired of the dispute.

"Gabriel?"

" _What?_ " I growled as my head shot in Ana's direction.

The look she gave me felt like it was piercing my soul. " _Sit down._ " I felt my blood run cold.

But still, I refused to back down. "Ana, you can't seriously be taking his side on this. There's no way this could be a simple infiltration."

Her brow twitched as she scowled, "I know that much, Gabriel. But Jack is right about your behavior. We won't get anywhere with your belligerent attitude. Now, listen to me, and _sit down_."

I glared at Jack before begrudgingly pulling out one of the remaining chairs. I glanced around as I kept a mental list of the people here. Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Jesse, Jack, Ana, Angela, Winston, Genji, and the new girl.

She joined us recently. Apparently, she was in an accident that practically made her a ghost until Winston and Angela worked on her. With the help of that metal device attached to her chest, she seemed stable enough to live a regular life. But for some reason, she chose to stick with us. _Whatever, as long as she knows how to keep her mouth shut._

"I just can't believe that Amy would do something horrible like that."

 _So much for that._ I sighed and glared at the girl who just spoke up. " _Amy?_ "

Her cheeks became flushed as she looked at her feet. "Yeah, it's a nickname that I call her. We were good friends."

I groaned as I facepalmed.

"I think that's sweet, Lena.. She was very lucky to have a friend like you."

I peek through my fingers and see Angela rubbing the girl's back, giving her an encouraging smile. It was almost a nice moment between the two of them before Angela turned her head and gave me a nasty glare. I shrugged.

Winston coughed into his fist to grab attention. "Now then, the problem remains. Miss Lacroix has disappeared," _He means Escaped._ "and as much as I want to dedicate our research team to finding her location, we simply do not have the time nor the resources to spend on this."

Jack furrowed his brows, "What do you mean? This is a high priority situation. We can't afford to let her stay in the hands of Talon. Who knows what they'll do to her?"

The gorilla raised his hands to concede, "Yes, I understand the situation. However, the Omnic attacks are showing no signs of slowing down, and as long as that remains a threat, we cannot allow our focus to be detracted to another cause."

The new girl decided that she'd heard enough. She stood up, breaking from Angela's hold, and scolded the ape. " _Winston!_ I can't believe you right now! Are you seriously thinking about leaving Amy alone like that? After all we've been through, you're just going to _abandon_ her?!"

" _Don't be stupid._ "

 _Lena_ stopped her ranting and stared at me in shock.

I crossed my arms, "If you put aside your personal relationships for just one second, you'd see how idiotic you sound right now."

Angela and Jack both stood at the same time, speaking simultaneously, " _Gabe!_ "

" _Shut up._ " I scowled. I slowly stood and stared Lena down, "Do you realize that if we sent soldiers over to locate Amelie, then we'd be taking troops away from cities- cities in need of _protection_. Without those soldiers, those cities could be attacked. Families would be shot down like they were in a firing line, and they may as well be if we relocate those soldiers. Are you telling me that you're willing to put all of their innocent lives at risk just to save a _friend?_ "

She just stared at me, and I could see tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I didn't think so." I deadpanned as I sat back down.

"Then, what do you suggest we do, Gabe?" Jack said, pushing everyone's focus onto me.

I closed my eyes and considered every possible solution. Once I've decided on the best one, I opened my eyes and took a breath. "Simple, we finish what we started."

Ana taps the table with her index finger, " _What_ do you mean by that?"

I pause before speaking up, "The monkey's right, we can't afford to reassign our troops for this operation." Winston started to say, "Actually, I'm not a-"

I cut him off, " _But,_ the rest of you aren't necessarily wrong either."

Jack's face showed confusion as he asked, "Where are you getting at here?"

I shot him an annoyed look, "What I'm getting at, is that in order to effectively shift our focus to the Amelie problem, we'd have to solve the problem of the Omnic Crisis."

Ana sighed, "You're making this sound easier than it actually is. We've been fighting the Omnics for years now, and we still have yet to determine who's behind all of it."

"No, you're wrong."

She looked up, curious. I continued, "We've had the ability to find out who's behind this for a while. We've just been too afraid to take the chance cause of the risks of getting it wrong. But, if we keep hoping that the answer comes to us, we'll never win this war. We have to take the chance now. No more battles, no more chances. We can end this war in one operation, if we just stop kicking the dirt and feeling sorry for ourselves."

Genji spoke up for the first time since the meeting started. "How can you be sure of who the enemies are? If we are mistaken, we could be targeting more innocent civilians. I will not allow that to happen."

I looked to my right and responded plainly, "We won't be mistaken. You'll just have to trust me."

After that, Genji returned to his silence. Jack looked concerned, his eyes shifting between the two of us. Eventually, he sighed and gave me a serious look. "Gabe, I'm trusting you on this. Please don't make me look like a fool for doing so. If you really have a some way that can end this war now, then I need you to do it."

I nodded before looking to the rest of the group. Ana looked unconvinced, but she hesitantly nodded, "If you really think that's the best plan… then I will support this decision."

Jesse smirked and tipped his hat, "Like I said before, I've got your back, Gabe."

Winston looked pleased as he clapped, "Very well, you have my support, Gabriel."

Reinhardt and Torbjorn laughed as they stood up. Reinhardt pounded his fist against his chest, "You have our arms, my friend. Let us arise victorious, together."

Genji silently nodded, before speaking quietly. "We will follow your plan, then we will target the woman who acted so dishonorably."

Lena's head was down, but as she looked up, I saw a determination in her eyes. "Alright, love. Let's take those baddies down and save Amy!"

I chuckled, _maybe she won't be so bad after all._ I paused as I looked over to Angela. She had arms crossed and refused to look at me. _Come on, Doc. Just say yes. That's all I need to hear. Please._

But she didn't. She just sat there in silence. She wouldn't even look at me. Jack saw my reaction and stood up. "Right, then we have a plan. Gabe, you're in charge of this operation. Don't let us down."

I should have been happy. I should have been excited, ready for battle. But instead, I just nodded. Everything else droned out. I couldn't stop looking at Angela. In my peripheral vision, I watched as, one-by-one, everyone left the board room. I stayed seated till even Angela got up and left, still refusing to acknowledge me.

I sat there, dazed, for an hour before mindlessly getting up and stepping out of the room. _What was that?_ I shook my head. _No, I don't have time to waste stuck up on her._ I moved forward towards the research lab. _I'll ask her about it later. For now, I have a job to do._

For the next few days, I spent all of my free time working with the other members to determine where our target would be. You'd think spending that much time together with them would improve our relationship. Actually, it was quite the opposite.

All interaction between me and the others were strictly professional and work-related. I refused to screw this operation up. If everything goes well, I might even be promoted to the strike commander of Overwatch.

Once everything was prepared, I gathered the everyone together and loaded them all up into a transport jet. I expected the ride to be quiet as everyone prepared for battle. I've never been more wrong in my life. Everyone was joking around with each other, laughing and acting like nothing was wrong with life. A few tried to talk to me, but I ignored them until they gave up or got the hint.

Once we arrived at the destination, I immediately got to work.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" All conversations came to a stop as their heads turned to look at me.

"We don't have a lot of time before we have to get started. This was the original base of operations to Omnica Headquarters, the first company to mass produce Omnics. We believe that our problems all originated here. We've found evidence that there's a virus branching out to several outside cities rooting somewhere in this husk of a building. Our mission is to find the computer with the program that's releasing this virus and shut it down, by any means necessary.

We're going to split up into groups to find the objective more effectively. Jack, you're taking the upper level with Ana and Reinhardt. Winston, you'll take charge of the main floor with Torbjorn and Lena. Genji, Jesse, you're searching below grounds with me."

I glanced over at Angela, who was looking at me expectantly. _Come with me. I want you to come with me._

"Angela, you're with Jack. Make sure you have his back in case we trigger any alarms."

I closed my eyes and internally groaned. _Why can't I just say what I mean?_

For a split second, I could have sworn I heard disappointment in her voice.

"Okay, I will do my best!"

I opened my eyes and nodded. "Alright then, let's get to work."

I pulled out my twin shotguns and pounded my fist on the walls. The door lowered, revealing stairs leading to the building. I took the lead with Jesse and Genji, heading inside first.

Hours passed with seemingly no problems. No problems, except that I wasn't finding anything.

" _Damn it!_ " I growled as I shot another hole into a computer.

I heard Jesse sigh as he walked up from behind me and tossed my computer into the pile of lost causes. "I hear ya. This ain't nearly as exciting as I thought it'd be. Doesn't help that we ain't found nothing."

I repeatedly pounded my head into a desk before straightening my back. "Alright, time to report in."

I reached up and activated my earpiece. "We've got nothing down here. What's the status upstairs?"

I heard a crackle before catching a gruff voice. "We've found nothing yet. But we will continue the search."

Jesse chuckled, leaning against a desk. "You ever think Reinhardt comes from a different time. Acts like a real _knight_ , you know?"

I ignored him, and waited for the last team to respond. I looked up at the ceiling as I let out a deep breath.

"Everything's okay up here, Love. Haven't found the virus, but we're not giving up!"

"Nobody's found _anything_? No enemies, no firewalls, _nothing?_ "

I heard a pause on the other side before the british girl spoke up again, "No, sorry. We've been trying. but-"

There was some noise in the background. Gunshots rang out and I heard shouts in the distance.

" _Winston!_ Get away from him you big-"

The earpiece was filled with static as her comm switched off. I turned to look at Jesse and Genji, who both already seemed ready to go. I nodded my head and unholstered my twin shotguns. We rushed to the staircase, but we froze when we saw what was waiting for us.

" _ **I.N.T.R.U.D.E.R D.E.T.E.C.T.E.D**_ _"_

We saw a squad of omnic soldiers turning the corner, stopping in the middle of our path. They each automatically raised their rifles to their hips.

" _Get down!_ " I jumped out of the way and pull a desk to its side as a makeshift shield. " _Genji!_ "

I heard his mechanical voice echo past the gun shots. "Understood." I watched as he stood up and readied his blade. All of the soldiers' attentions moved to him. As bullets whizzed by him, Genji positioned his blade. "始め!"

Time seemed to slow down as he shifted his blade to deflect each bullet, sending them back in their direction. After 3 seconds, all that was left of the Omnic force was ash and scraps. I gave him a nod before moving up the staircase, my weapons at ready. As I turned the corner, I saw two more Omnics waiting for me. I took aim and fired both shots simultaneously, taking them both out instantly.

As I started to move forward, the wall beside me exploded, knocking me to the ground. My vision blurred, but I was able to make out a figure walking towards me. I reached around for my shotguns, but I couldn't find them. I blinked as my vision began clear up, until I saw that I was face to face with the barrel of a rifle. _Shit_.

Before I could my mouth, I heard a gunshot ring and watched as the Omnic's head exploded. I found my guns tossed across the floor. I leapt over to grab one and aimed it at the direction of the gunshot. In front of my face was the handle of my other shotgun. I looked up and saw Jesse's smug grin as he tipped his hat. " _Always aim for the head._ Right?"

I scoffed as I grabbed the handle and picked myself up. "Nice shot." When I looked up, his face was inches from mine. His eyes squinted as he studied my face. "A compliment? Who are you, and what have you done with Gabe?"

I rolled my eyes as I saw Genji walking up the stairs. "Funny. Now, focus. We've got to find Winston's team." The smile faded from his face as he nodded. A scream pierced the air. The three of us immediately sprinted over to the root of the sound.

Turning the corner, we saw an armored gorilla bleeding and knocked out in a hole in a wall. Next to him was the back of an Omnic holding Lena's neck, pushing her up against the wall. She was clearly trying her best to pry the fingers off of her neck, to no effect. I holstered my guns and charged ahead past my team.

I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the Omnic's skull. I pulled it back, making it release Lena, and smashed it into the wall. It fell to it's knees and it's neck sparked as it try to look at me. But before it could, I pulled out my shotgun and let another shot ring out.

Breathing heavily, I turned to look at Lena. She was rubbing her neck as she tried to catch her breath. I sighed and walked up to her. She looked up to see my hand extended out. Her eyes looked to the floor as she reached up and gripped my hand. I pulled her up, "You alright?"

She didn't answer. Her body was tense and I noticed as it started to tremble. I heard her mutter something, but I couldn't quite catch it.

"What?"

" _You were right._ "

I raised a brow, "Excuse me?" She looked behind her and motioned at the gorilla's unconscious body. " _I really am stupid. I'm stupid, and I don't pay attention, and I don't belong here._ "

I could see tears begin to fall from her eyes. At this point, she was quietly sobbing. " _It was my fault that Winston got hurt._ " She didn't say anything beyond that. I looked down at her and something moved in my heart.

"You blame yourself."

She froze and slightly looked up at me. It was just enough to where I could see her eyes. I continued,

"You're telling yourself that if you just moved a little faster, pulled your guns out a little quicker, that he wouldn't have gotten hurt." I hesitantly rested a hand on her shoulder.

"But trust me, there's nothing you could have done. Your team was caught off guard, and they took advantage of it. There's nothing you can do to change that. All you can do now is learn from this and move forward."

She lowered her head again, staying silent. I sighed again, "I know from experience."

She raised her head fully and furiously looked me in the eyes. "But how did you forgive yourself for it? How can you move past something like this and just forget it?"

I shrugged and looked away, "I didn't. Something like this never leaves you. It haunts you for the rest of your life." I looked back at her, "But at some point, you realize that people are depending on you. And if you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself, you won't be able to be there for them when they need you the most."

Her eyes softened as she processed my words. I tried my best to give her a comforting smile. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but after a while, I guess she noticed how close she was, because her cheeks turns red and she looked away. "Ah… I-I think I'll go check on Winston. Make sure everything's okay."

I chuckled as I watched her awkwardly walk away and crouch down next to the monkey. "Yeah, you do that."

The moment over, I called out for Torbjorn. A moment later, I watched as he walked out of a room, looking worse for wear. "I hear ya, _I hear ya!_ I may be old, but I'm not deaf."

 _Great, looks like I won't be getting any help from him either._ "Where's Jack's team? Doctor Ziegler should be able to help Winston."

Torbjorn groaned as he cracked his neck. "I don't know. Haven't seen em since we split up."

 _Maybe they found something._ "Alright. Genji, McCree, you two stay with this team. Make sure they have backup in case more Omnics attack." The two of them nodded before readying their weapons and standing guard.

I headed back to the staircase and moved up one level. I searched every room until I saw Reinhardt and Angela sitting down in the hallway.

"What are you two doing sitting down?" I asked as I glared at the two.

The doctor stood up, "Ah, Gabriel. We were just-"

" _Answer my question._ " I growled. Angela looked shocked, but she managed to force out an answer. "Jack believes that he's found the computer with the master program. He told us to stay here and keep watch of the hallway until him and Ana came back."

I nodded, "Smart. There's been Omnic attacks on the lower levels. Him finding the computer might be what set it off. Angela, Winston and Lena were hurt in an attack. Go tend to their wounds. Reinhardt, go with her to keep her safe."

Reinhardt stood up, nodding, and head towards the stairs. Angela didn't move though.

"Gabriel, we need to talk."

I shook my head and started to move in Jack's direction. "Not now, you're needed downstairs."

She reaches out and grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "I understand that, but we need to talk about what happened back at-"

I pulled my arm away from her grasp and scowled, "I said, _not now!_ " She recoiled and slowly, she got the hint and left to go deal with the others.

 _That's one problem out of the way. I'll have to make sure to check on her afterwards, but for now…_ I heard a crash in the distance. _Shit._ I ran to the source of the noise and kicked down the door leading to it. I was met by a large group of Omnic soldiers. _Shit… again._

I started to back up, but I turned around to see another group of Omnics behind me. _Fuck, I'm surrounded._ I backed up again and readied my twin shotguns as they started to circle around me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Surprisingly, even in the situation I was in, I managed to slow my heart beat down. As I opened my eyes, time seemed to slow down as I was able to analyze every movement around me. I saw each of the Omnics raise their weapons. _If I want to get out of this alive, I'm going to have to act quickly._

I raised both of my shotguns so they pointing in opposite directions. _I won't be able to kill all of them in one rotation. It'll take two… no, three magazines to take out all of them._

 _Alright, let's do this._

I fired off two rounds into two Omnics to my sides and started to turn, shooting down several Omnics with each rotation. I paused for a second to reload, dropping the empty magazines and swiftly loading up another two. _It's been enough time for them to fire, so I'll have start being evasive._

I just barely moved out of the way as a bullet flew by my ear. My body snapped in it's direction and I let another shot fire as it's head exploded. I heard the loading of a rifle behind me. _But I see another Omnic taking it's at me right now._ _I'll have to shoot both of them at the same time._ So, my arm moved so it was aiming directly behind me while I aimed my other shotgun in front of me at the Omnic as it was about to pull the trigger. Two more shots rang out and two more Omnic bodies hit the floor.

 _Five more rounds left in the magazine._ My eye caught six Omnics closing in on me as they flanked me. I squinted before quickly pointing both my shotguns to my left. I let loose three rounds before kneeling down on one knee and firing the leftover bullets at the three to my right. I was able take two of them out, but the one that survived was getting closer.

I reached out and wrapped my arms around the Omnic's, twisting it to the breaking point. As it's rifle dropped to ground, I reached up and pulled it's head towards mine, bashing our heads together. While it stumbled backwards, I reached down and loaded another magazine into my shotguns. I pointed the barrel it's direction while it was still disorientated. As I let the round loose, I pointed my other shotgun at the group of Omnics that were left. As I started firing with one arm, I raised my other gun to do the same.

I pulled the trigger again and again. Even after there were no more Omnics left to shoot- even after my magazines had run out- I kept pulling the trigger.

 _Die…_

 _Die…_

 _Die..._

" _Gabe!_ "

I snapped out it as I looked over to see Jack and Ana fighting off Omnics of their own. I charged over to help them in their battle. Once everything was clear, I had to pause to catch my breath.

"Thank god you came. I don't know what we would've done if you weren't there."

I looked up to see Jack rolling his shoulders. If Ana was tired, I didn't see any signs of it.

"No problem. How are we doing with the virus?"

Jack shook his head, "We've found its location and the program that caused it. But this isn't something we can just fix with our guns."

"What do you mean?"

Ana answered this time, "What he means is that we need to terminate the program before we can kill the virus."

I straighten up and brush past Jack to approach the computer. "And why haven't you done that yet?"

I think I saw Ana's eye twitch, but I didn't pay any attention to it. She let out a breath to calm herself down, "There seems to a password that is keeping us from doing so. We were going to go find Winston to see if he could help when we were ambushed by the Omnics."

I took a look at the computer screen. They're right. This looks way too complicated. "He's out right now. He was knocked out when his team was attacked by Omnics."

"What?" Ana stiffened at the thought of a member of her team being hurt.

"Yeah, he-" I was interrupted as the floor rumbled and an explosion was heard from downstairs.

Jack's head shot up, "What was that?"

Ana grabbed my shoulder, "You said that the Omnics attacked them as well?"

I shrugged her hand off, "Yeah, but they should be fine. I had McCree and Genji watch over them."

Jack started walking towards the door, "We need to go give them back up. It sounds like things aren't going so well."

I turned around, "Don't be stupid, Jack. We need to focus on breaking this passcode."

Jack stopped, but when he looked back, he looked furious. "I'm not leaving my friends to die, _Gabe_. They could be seriously outnumber down there."

I rolled my eyes, "They can handle it. They're tough enough to take care of themselves."

Jack stared at me for two seconds before turning on his heels and running out the door.

"Fine, _leave then!_ Come on, Ana. Help me with this passcode." But all I heard was footsteps as she walked away. " _Ana?_ "

She slightly turned her head as she walked away, "I'm disappointed in you, Gabe. I thought even _you_ would make the right choice here."

 _Even me? What does she mean by that?_ I shook the thought away as I turned to focus on the task at hand. _I have to get this decrypted._

As gunshots and more explosions were heard from the level, I focused all of my attention on cracking the code. The building began to rumble more and more. The ceiling began to crack and some debris began to fall. Sweat started to drop my forehead as the building shook more and more. I tried several codes and tried any method I could to figure out what it was, but I was still locked out. _Damn it. Come on. Come on!_

" _Gabriel!_ " I felt a large hairy hand shake my shoulder. I pulled out a shotgun and aimed it at the figure's head.

The gorilla stumbled back as he held his hands up. "Don't shoot! It's me, Winston!"

I sighed, lowering my guns, before turning back to the computer.

"Gabriel, we have to go. _Now._ "

I ignored him. _I need to crack this code._

He started to wave his hand in my vision to grab my attention. "Gabriel, we don't have much time. This building won't last for much longer."

I swatted his hand away before growling, "Get out of my way, _monkey_. I need to figure out this passcode to terminate the program."

"Gabriel, everyone is evacuating the building. Let _me_ crack this code."

"This is my job to do."

"Gabriel, you're being unreasonable."

I grit my teeth as I entered another wrong code. "Shut up."

"Gabriel-"

I snapped around and shoved the gorilla to ground.

" _Shut up!_ "

That got him quiet. As I slowly turned back to work on the computer, he slowly picked himself up. _Another wrong code. Another wrong code. Another wro- Damn it!_

I clenched my fist and shut my eyes in frustration as I failed another code.

I was helpless.

I couldn't crack this code.

I was alone.

I opened my eyes as I heard tapping on the computer. Winston was furiously typing in something on the keyboard. I started to push him aside, "Go away, Winston. I can handle this myse-"

"There. The program's been terminated." He looked over at me, clearly displeased.

" _What?_ " I shoved him aside to look at the screen. _I can't believe this._ " The program was gone. Any trace of its existence had been erased. He terminated it.

"Now, let's go. The rest of the team is waiting for us, and we don't have much time."

I blinked before numbly nodding my head. "Yes, of course…"

With that, the two of us rushed out the building. As we did, I couldn't help but notice the remains of what I assumed was a horde of Omnics.

We burst through the entry and saw the team waiting for us in the jet. As we ran on to join them, the Omnica building couldn't withstand the damage any longer and caved in behind us.

I gasped for breath as I bent over, my legs barely holding me up. I laugh slowly crept it's way to the surface as I wheezed. I straightened my back and bent my head back, laughing to the fullest.

"We-we did it. We got rid of the program. It-It's gone." I opened my eyes with the biggest grin.

Several of them were just as relieved and happy as I was, but my excitement drained away as I saw Jack, Ana, and Winston looking at me with disapproval.

I scowled, _Why can't they, for once in their lives, appreciate the fact that I finished the job._ The thought faded as Lena jumped on my back, screaming, " _We did it!_ I can't believe we made it out of there alive!"

"Get off me." I chuckled as she crawled off my back and gave me puppy eyes. "Sorry."

I groaned, "Don't try that on me. I'm trying to celebrate a victory."

With that, she grinned and ran off to Winston to rant about whatever.

I sat down in a passenger seat and leant my head back. _I can finally relax, and maybe now, the world will recognize how much I do for Overwatch._

When the jet touched down in the Overwatch headquarters, our team was met by countless waves of media. A path cleared as Gabrielle Adawe, one of the founder of Overwatch, pushed her way towards us.

"Welcome back, Jack." Jack gave a charming nod of recognition.

"Gabe." I smiled and nodded.

"Come with me, I have something for your team."

I internally celebrated as I walked down the aisle with the rest of the Overwatch members. Eventually, we reached the main entry of the Overwatch headquarters.

"Please stand in two lines."

We did just that. I stood across from Angela, in between Lena and Winston. I watched in anticipation as Adawe brought out a case of medals. One by one, she placed the medals around our necks.

"I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your sacrifice, your bravery, and your hard work. With today's achievement, you have accomplished something we have been working to end for years. With pride and honor, I would like to reward all of you for your success. These are medals of honor. They each represent a symbol. Only so many of those have been given, and only those who have truly accomplished great things have had the honor of receiving it. With this, I'd like to remind the world that there are people out there, incredible people, who are _brave_ enough and _strong_ enough to risk everything to protect the innocent lives of the world. With the Omnic Crisis over, I'd like to once again thank these brave heroes for their hard work."

With that, the media watching lowered their cameras, stood, and gave a deafening applause. Adawe raised her arms, motioning for the audience to silence themselves.

"And one last thing before we leave these brave heroes to rest. I'd like to give one more award."For this person's sacrifice and willingness to put one foot forward to help his team, I'd like to grant this person the title of the first ever _Strike Commander of Overwatch_."

 _Yes! This is it! I'm finally getting the recognition I deserve._ I looked over at Angela and gave her a smile. _Look at me now!_ She gave a light smile back, but I could see she was bothered by something. _What are you worrying about now? Just be happy for me!_

"He has constantly proven himself to be a valiant team leader, and even took charge of this operation, ultimately saving his team from a massive wave of corrupted Omnic soldiers."

 _This is my time. I finally get to be the hero._ I look over at Jack. He's giving me a smug grin. _Oh, I can't wait to see your face when you realize that this time, you're not the center of attention._ I responded back with a cheeky grin of my own.

"This man has shown valor and cunning in times of chaos, and for that, I'd like to ask him to give a word to the people he's worked so hard to protect."

 _I can't believe this is actually happening. It's like a dream._ _This is what I've been waiting for my whole life._

But even the best dreams can become your worst nightmare.

"Please step forward, _Jack Morrison!_ "

Everything droned out as my grin faded away. Time seemed to slow down, as he confidently walked by, with that smug grin plastered to his face. As he walked past me, he gave me a pat on the shoulder, as if I was a runner who came in second place. I watched as he walked up to a podium and began to address the audience, who had taken this opportunity to pull out their cameras and phones. The flashes blinded me as he gave this grand speech that I refused to listen to.

 _Him? He's the new Strike Commander of Overwatch?_

…

…

…

 _What?_

* * *

 _And that's it! I'm sorry if it wasn't worth waiting an entire day for, but I worked really hard to push this one out. It was a bit longer than what I was used to as well. The reason for that was because I wanted to make this a sort of changing point in Gabriel Reyes' mental state. From here on out, things are going to get a lot more intense. I'll also try to be pushing the relationship between Reaper and Mercy in the next chapter, but it might not be exactly what you're expecting. You'll just have to wait and find out. Next time on Death's Blossom._


	5. Shattered Memories

_Hey guys! Just wanted to let you guys know that this is another long one. And don't worry! I'm not sure if this is how I want to make every chapter, or if I want to start separating it into shorter portions. Ultimately, it's up to you guys and what you're more comfortable with. Anyways, let me know how you guys feel about the longer chapters. And with that out of the way, enjoy chapter 5 of Death's Blossom._

 _~Atlas_

* * *

 _I was running. I was running as fast as possible. But it wasn't fast enough._

 _I sprinted through the boiler room, ducking and dodging as many pipes and machines as I could._

 _But it wasn't fast enough._

 _I wanted to look behind me. I wanted to see if he was still following, but I knew he was. I knew he was right behind me. I saw a glass pane and leapt through it, leaving it's shattered remains in my trail._

 _But it wasn't fast enough._

 _I tumbled into the armory and grabbed whatever weapon I could, firing them in his direction. But I couldn't hit him._

 _Eventually, I reached a dead end, and I had nowhere to go._

 _I watched as the shadows crept past the corner. I back myself as far as I could into the wall as he walked around the corner and stared at me._

 _He had pitch black eyes. He was enveloped in a shroud of darkness. I could hear the screams of the people he'd murdered as he took steps toward me._

 _But most importantly, I remembered his face._

 _And as he extended a hand to tear out my heart, I shut my eyes, hoping he'd go away. I prayed that he would leave me alone. That he'd make it painless. That he'd at least have the heart to make it quick._

 _But it wasn't fast enough._

I shot up in my bed, heaving, gasping for breath. My throat was dry and my heart was racing. I wiped the sweat from my forehead before lowering my feet to the cold, metal floor. _What was that dream?_

Then I remembered yesterday. I clenched my fist as the event continuously replayed in my mind. My breathing grew heavier every second, until I couldn't bear it anymore. I grabbed whatever was closest to me and, shouting, flung it at the wall.

I sighed before getting up and walking over to the pillow on the floor. I brushed it off before tossing it back on my bed. _That wasn't nearly as satisfying as I hoped it'd be._

I dragged myself over to my restroom and prepared myself for the day. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a mess. The bags under my eyes made me look 20 years older, and the pale skin from the dream didn't help.

The longer I spent staring at myself, the more Jack's face haunted me. I closed my eyes in an attempt to shut the memory out of my mind, but I didn't work. My face twisted in anger as I found it harder to hold back the violent thoughts.

I roared as I smashed my fist into the mirror, leaving glass shards all over the floor. _And in my knuckles._ I thought as I looked at the shrapnel stuck in my closed fist. _That was a lot more satisfying._ I winced as I pulled them out. _Alright, maybe I should talk to Angela about this._ I face-palmed as I realized, _Angela… Shit, I forgot to ask her what she wanted to talk about._ I groaned as I prepared to get dressed.

The walk over to the lobby was hell. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd say to the Doc, or if I would say anything at all, until a bitter thought sparked in my mind, _Strike Commander._ So basically, he's the leader of our team now. _As if that wasn't the case already._ I tried to push the thought away as I reached the door to the lobby. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I prepared myself. Pushing the doors open, I walked in expecting to see everyone eating together as usual.

But I didn't find anyone. I was met with a room full of silence, excluding the sound of clanging in the distance. _What the hell?_ I followed the source of the sounds and found Winston working on a new project. He had a blacksmith's helmet covering his face as he hammered away, creating sparks of flame.

 _Let's just get this over with._ "Hey."

He didn't answer, so I tried raising my voice, " _Hey._ "

Still no response. I considered kicking him so he'd finally notice my presence, but decided against it. Luckily, he seemed to finish as he lowered his hammer and raised his helmet.

" _Winston._ "

He made a high pitched noise as he spun around, looking for who called his name. Once he noticed it was me, he visibly sobered down. "Oh, Gabriel. I didn't think you'd be here."

I grunted, "Well, usually I wouldn't. But I'm looking for the doctor. You know where she is?"

The gorilla gave me a curious look, "You don't know?"

 _Obviously not, or I wouldn't be asking._ I shook my head, motioning for him to continue.

He fixed his glasses before picking up his project and carrying it over to his desk. "She left with the others to celebrate Jack's promotion."

 _Of course they did. Who wouldn't want to spend more time with Jack Morrison._

I slowly approached him from behind. "And where's this celebration happening?"

He hesitated before cautiously asking, "And what is your reason for wanting to know?"

I felt my eye twitch. "That's none of your business. Now, answer my question."

Winston's chest expanded as he took a deep breath. "Do you wish to start a conflict with Commander Morrison?"

I raised a brow, "You're quick to assume. Almost as quick as you are to adopt his new title."

He attempted to intimidate me, puffing up his chest and straightening his back. "I will not allow you to disrupt their celebration. They deserve that much after all they've done to overcome the Omnic Crisis."

I chuckled before glaring at him. "Ironic that a _gorilla_ would jump at the chance to be Jack's _lapdog._ "

He snarled as he started walking towards me. "Do you know why you weren't chosen for position? Even _with_ being in charge of the operation?"

I narrowed my eyes, "What?"

He stopped just short of my face, sneering. "It's because you were a terrible leader."

I growled, " _And why's that?_ "

He huffed, "You were stubborn. Inconsiderate of the fact that your allies were in danger. Selfish. You let your pride decide your actions. Anyone with that sort of mindset isn't fit to lead a team like Overwatch."

I clenched my fists. It took all of my restraint to hold myself back from beating this ape back into the cage he was born in. "And what? You expect me to believe that _you'd_ make a better leader?"

 _That hit a nerve._ He started looking agitated as he took a step backwards. "That's not what I said."

I took advantage of this as I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. "But that's what you meant. You want to be the hero. You're tired of being the _pet_ of the group. Well, it's about damn time, cause I was starting to get tired of watching an _animal_ act like a human."

Winston snarled before howling, "I have had _enough!_ Commander Morrison was promoted because he was willing to help us instead of focusing on his _pride_. He came back and risked his life to rescue us. He is more of a _hero_ than you'll ever be, _Gabriel Reyes_. And don't think I don't know about your greed. Jack _told_ us about your decision. How you _selfishly_ stayed behind and let him and Ana run into a battle _by themselves_. How _you_ tried to leave us to _die_ just so you could nurse a _grudge!_ "

I crossed my arms, "Jack _told_ you this?"

Winston pounded the floor before responding. " _Yes_. As a matter of fact, he _did._ And that's why Jack was promoted. That's why _Jack is a better leader than you could ever be!_ "

His last sentence echoed through the empty lobby. I remained silent as I seethed in rage. I grit my teeth before finally opening my mouth, "Well, that's just fine. Cause I don't need to compare myself to Jack to know that I've been the better soldier since the beginning. The only _real_ reason he got promoted was because he was willing to drop the entire operation, just so he could play the _hero._ "

I could've gone on more, but I decided to end this. "And another thing. I don't need to be given a lecture on how to be a leader by some _stupid monkey_."

With that, I turned my heel and left the room. As the doors closed, I heard the gorilla screeching and howling. _Whatever. If I can't find the doctor, I'll fix these cuts myself._

I walked back to my room with some bandages and painkillers from the medbay. Walking over to the restroom, I washed the cuts with water before drying my hand and wrapping it in the bandages. Afterwards, I swallowed down some of the painkillers.

With that finished, I considered heading over to the shooting range, but the painkillers felt like they were already kicking in. I stumbled over to my bed before passing out face-first into the pillows.

 _Darkness shrouded my vision. I tried to wave the shadows away, but nothing seemed to work._

 _This is my life. I felt… helpless. I felt powerless._

 _Suddenly, a ray of light broke past the clouds of darkness. I squinted my eyes, desperately looking for the unknown intruder._

 _My eyes widened as I saw Angela flying down, her hand reaching out to me. Flying. She had an angel's wings and everything. She looked so pure, wearing a palette of white and gold._

 _Hesitantly, I extended my reach to grasp her hand._

 _Suddenly, a shot rang out._

 _Her face twisted into one of horror as the shadows around me scattered, ceasing to exist. Angela started mouthing my name before falling to her knees. I tried to cry for help, but my voice seemed trapped. I watched as her body collapsed to the ground, her expression frozen in horror, her blood spilling out, pooling around her corpse._

 _The smell of gunpowder filled the air. I slowly turned around to reveal the murderer._

 _Smoke protruded out of the barrel of a shotgun. I looked past the gun and flinched when I saw his face again. He was hideous. He wore a pitch black cloak that made it impossibly hard to differentiate him from the shadows surrounding him. I swallowed, but forced myself to open my mouth. I tried to speak again, but once again, no words came out._

 _That's when he started to move forward. I held my hands up to stop him from walking into me, but the motion was meaningless, as once I did, he simply walked through me, his body like a spectre of some sort. As he passed through my body, I felt my heart stop, my blood run cold, and a chill through my spine. It shook me to my very core._

 _I looked down at my hands and watched as my flesh decayed, rotting until only bones were left. Groaning, I reached up and began pulling at the skin from my face. Bit by bit, I watched as my skins tore apart, dropping to the ground, until none was left._

 _Why is this happening to me?_

 _Angela!_

 _I turned around and fell to my knees as I reached down to turn her over. My skeletal hands, stronger than before, easily lifted her body. I cautiously turned her head around, so I could see her face. But it was gone. It wasn't hers._

 _All that remained was a hideous skull with pitch black eyes staring back at me._

An alarm went off, waking me from my nightmare. I was breathing heavily, gasping for whatever breath I could. I groaned as the image of Angela's face as she fell was burned into my memory.

I looked over at my holopad, grateful that it woke me up. I saw a notification flashing as the device continued to ring. Shutting off the alarm, I opened the notification.

" _ **G.A.B.R.I.E.L R.E.Y.E.S**_

 _ **Y.O.U H.A.V.E C.A.L.L.E.D T.O A.C.T.I.O.N.**_

 _ **R.E.P.O.R.T T.O T.H.E F.L.I.G.H.T D.E.C.K T.O R.E.C.E.I.V.E F.U.R.T.H.E.R I.N.S.T.R.U.C.T.I.O.N.S.**_ **"**

 _How official. Short and straight to the point._ I took a glance at the time before realizing that hours had passed since my interaction with the monkey. I sighed before getting up. I was already dressed, so I might as well head over right away. I reached under my bed to pull out my twin shotguns and holstered them before making a beeline straight to the flight deck.

When I arrived, Jack was just about to walk up the ramp into the transport helicopter. It looked like he was supposed to be the last person loaded in. I sarcastically thought, Great, _this should be fun._ I grabbed his attention by giving him a short wave.

"Hey Jack. Sorry to keep you waiting, I was passed out when I got the notification."

Jack looked confused for a moment before having a moment of realization. He groaned as he repeatedly slapped his forehead, mumbling something.

 _What the hell?_ "What's the deal, Jack?"

He sighed before looking me dead in the eyes. "Gabe. You weren't supposed to get that message."

I blinked, " _What?_ "

"Listen, we're about to head out to investigate a potential underground Talon base. We suspect that Amelie might be held there."

I nodded as I started to head to a passenger seat, "Fine, then let's go."

But he held his arm out, his palm on my chest. "Gabe, you're not coming with us."

I stared at his arm before slowly looking up at him.

Jack relaxed his shoulders, "Look, I decided to use my position-" _His position?_ "-to place you in charge of the Blackwatch team. We figured it'd be best since-"

" _We?_ " I scowled, "Who's _we?_ "

At that moment, I heard heavy footsteps as Winston walked out of the helicopter. "Commander Morrison, we're all ready. Is there a problem?" He froze once he saw me standing there. "I… see. We'll be waiting inside." He quickly turned around and walked back.

 _Oh, hell no._ I looked back at the blonde soldier, who looked really awkward at the moment. "Tell me you're joking."

He didn't respond.

" _Jack,_ tell me you're not seriously trusting this monkey over me."

He took in a deep breath before saying, "We… decided that it'd be best for you to sit this mission out since it seemed too personal with you. We couldn't risk having that disrupt the operation."

My eye twitched, " _Disrupt the operation?_ "

He placed his hand on my shoulder, "Gabe, don't be unreasonable. The Blackwatch is a highly respected covert ops division. You'll have control of any resources given to the department, and you'll have full leadership over a squad of highly developed and well-trained soldiers, like McCree. Trust me, it'll be much better-"

I swatted his hand away, "Cut the crap, Jack. You should know by now that that _Everything's okay_ bullshit doesn't work with me."

I pushed a finger into his chest, "You think, just cause you're the new _Strike Commander_ , you can just shove me aside?"

"Don't make this personal, Gabe. Listen to your own advice for once. _Put aside your personal relationships_."

I scoffed, "Oh please. Don't act like this isn't personal. You've been on my case since our mission with Gerard. You've spent every mission trying to put me down so I wouldn't get in the way of you being a _hero._ "

His body stiffened at the mention of Gerard's name. "Gabe, you need to let this go-"

I shoved him back, "No, _you_ need to let this go. You think you can just toss me to the curb now that you've got what you wanted. _You_ think just cause of some title, that gives you authority over me?"

His voice overlapped mine, "Oh, _come on!_ This has nothing to do with the _title_. You're being childish. If you'd just thought about my situation-"

"Oh, _your situation!_ _I'm so sorry._ I didn't realize how hard it was being the _leader_ of Overwatch."

" _Gabe!_ " He had grabbed me by the collar. His grip was tight enough that I couldn't brush him off even if I tried. We stayed like that for several seconds.

"You're not coming with us."

He let go of me as he started walking up the ramp. I called out to him,

"Don't do this, Jack. Just stop and _think_ about what you're doing. _Who's_ always had your back? _Who's_ always saved your ass when you were in a tough spot? _Who's_ always one step ahead of you, making sure you don't do something _stupid?_ _Huh?_ _Face it, Jack, you need me._ "

He looked back as the ramp started closing in front of me. " _I don't need you anymore._ "

My heart dropped as the entry closed, sealed tight. "Jack…" I absentmindedly said out loud.

"Jack." I started walking towards the helicopter, even as it started taking off.

" _Jack! Jack, you get back out here!_ " I started beating on the shell of the helicopter as slowly lifted off the ground.

" _Jack! You don't know what you're doing! Let go of me!_ " At this point, some security guards noticed what I was doing and came over to drag me out of the area.

" _Let go of m- Jack! Jack! Let go of me!"_ I growled as I threw a punch at one of the guards' heads, knocking them unconscious.

" _Jack! Listen to me, you're making a mistake!_ " Several guards started jumping on my arms, desperately trying to hold me down.

I watched as the helicopter shrunk in size until it totally disappeared from view.

" _Morrison! Morrison, you son of a bitch. Get back here!_ " I was shouting at nothing, furiously determined that he'd hear.

" _Morrison! This isn't over, you bastard! When you get back, I'll be waiting for you. And you'd better be ready, because you're gonna have to deal… with… me…_ "

My voice sounded distorted as I felt a prick in my neck. Soon, my head was too heavy to hold up, and my legs were too weak to keep myself standing, so I fell over.

Before I hit the ground, I couldn't help but think of the last words Morrison said to me.

 _I don't need you anymore._

When I woke up, I was in my bed. As I lifted myself up, my body felt incredibly sore. _What happened?_ I groaned, before remembering.

I lowered my head as I thought about what he'd said. _He doesn't need me._ _Of course, he doesn't. He's Jack-Fucking-Morrison._ I pushed myself off the bed and went to the restroom to wash my face off.

I walked in to see the shattered remains of what used to be a mirror. _Oh. Right._ I turned the tap before splashing my face with water. I reached for a towel and dried myself off.

I sighed, just standing there thinking about what to do, before it hit me. _I need to see Angela._

So I quickly grabbed my jacket and rushed over to the Medbay.

When I arrived, I pushed through the door and desperately searched for Angela. I found her off to the side, looking through a cabinet.

I stopped before I could get too close to her. _What if she's still mad at me. What if she doesn't want to see me._ All these thoughts ran through my head, and I couldn't think of anything to say other than,

"Doc…"

She turned around to see me, breathing heavily and my eyes in panic. "Gabriel…"

I looked down and noticed that she was wearing the same outfit I saw her in when we first met.

 _A lab coat, with a blue sweater and a pencil skirt underneath._

I weakly smiled at the thought. _She was kind of cute, right?_

That memory killed whatever happiness I felt at the moment.

I glanced back at Angela and saw that she was looking me directly in the eyes. "Gabriel, what's wrong?"

 _What's wrong? Everything's wrong. Amelie, Gerard, Blackwatch, Jack, you._ I scrambled to find something to say, but nothing would come out. I tried again and again, but my mouth was left hanging open, refusing to speak a single word.

But the way she looked at me. It felt like she knew exactly what I was thinking. Her eyes were… sympathetic, like she felt _sorry_ for me. I was still trying to push the words out, when…

She reached up and pulled me into a hug.

From there, my mind blanked.

"Shh, shh. Everything's okay." I felt tears start to form in my eyes as my heart broke with every loving whisper.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

I refused to look up at her and let her see me in the shape I was in. But I managed to choke out,

"It's over. With Jack."

"What?" She said in shock as she pulled away from me.

I looked her in the eyes. _There's no turning back from this. You're letting her see you. Weakness and all._

"He quit. On me. On us. We were partners, bound together since the beginning, and he _quit._ "

All I could hear was his voice in my head, giving me disapproving looks. Commanding me to silence myself while just saying my name.

 _Gabe._

 _Gabe._

 _Gabe._

I tried to shut them out by speaking again. My voice shook with every word, "He quit because I _knew_. Knew about who he _really_ was. And now, he's moved me to _Blackwatch_."

Angela's voice was filled with concern. "Gabriel, I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

I looked at her again. I felt my feet begin to move unconsciously, as I started pacing "He knows that I know what the _real_ Jack Morrison is like. A _bastard_ who's willing to leave everyone behind in the dust if it means that he gets to be the _hero_. He'd be _more_ than happy to toss his _friends_ aside if it meant that he had his moment of glory. And now that he's the commander, there's nothing stopping him."

Angela grabbed my arm, holding me in place, and gave me a worried look. "Gabriel, Something's wrong with you. I think you need help."

 _Need?_

Several unpleasant memories surfaced.

 _Gabe, you need to calm down!_

 _Gabriel, we need to go. Now!_

 _Gabe, you need to let this go-_

I grit my teeth and shoved her aside. "I don't _need_ anyone."

She'd fallen and held herself up against the wall.

"The only thing I _need_ is for _maggots_ to stop getting in my _way!_ "

My shout echoed throughout the large, empty room

The memories and the rage that had arisen with them faded quickly. I stumbled to catch my words, "I'm- I'm sorry, I just-"

Her expression shifted from concern to anger.

" _You're sorry?_ You think you can get away with a _sorry?_ "

"What?"

She picked herself up from off the floor and started walking towards me.

"After everything that's happened, you think that's good enough?"

I started to back up, "Everything that's happened? What are you talking about?"

She threw her hands up, " _God!_ Are you _that_ ignorant? Have you not paid _any_ attention, _at all?_ "

 _I was so lost. Why was she yelling at me?_

I stopped retreating and started to glare at her. " _Ignorant?_ How _dare_ you call me that after I just spilled my heart out to you?"

 _And why was I yelling back?_

She scoffed, still stepping towards me. " _That_ was spilling your heart out? That was you whining about not getting enough attention."

 _Why was I letting her?_

"You have _no_ idea of what you're talking about."

She stopped right in front of me, pushing a finger into my chest. "Oh, really? Because it feels like it was about you acting completely rude in front of our new member."

 _You love her._

" _What?_ How does that have _anything_ to do with what we're talking about right now?"

She screamed in frustration, "You are such an _idiot!_ And when I tried to apologize to you for the silent treatment, _you_ refused to talk to _me?_ "

 _I love her._

"I didn't talk to you because _we were on a mission!_ "

" _A mission?_ And that gives you any right to just ignore me? Treat me like dirt? _I can't believe you!_ "

 _I love you._

"..." I stopped talking when I noticed my thoughts. Everything droned out as I couldn't think about anything else, but what this meant.

"I can't believe myself. God! I can't believe I ever thought that you were a _decent guy_. Sure, you were rude at times, but I believed that you intended well. _I can't believe you!_ " She shrieked as she tried to shove me back, to no avail.

"I love you."

She froze. She slowly looked up into my eyes. Her entire body read confusion as she locked up.

"...What?"

I reached my hand up and caressed her cheek before starting to lean in.

"I love you."

 _Her skin is soft. Just like the day we first met._

She took a sharp breath as our lips collided.

* * *

 _Phew, that was a long one! I'll be honest, I started writing this chapter immediately after posting the last one. I was really excited for the scenes in this chapter and I couldn't wait another day for it. Unfortunately, that meant staying up until 5 in the morning. That kind of sucks. But hey, if you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, then it was all worth it. Don't have any hints for the next chapter but if you stick around, I promise you won't be disappointed!_


	6. Blackwatch

_Alright guys, sorry this one took a while to get out. I was out for a majority of the day today, so I didn't have a lot of time to write this chapter. Because of that, this chapter's gonna be a shorter one. Sorry! Anyways, I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying the story. The reviews are a great help. I'll be back to making full sized chapters tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about that. That being said, I'll leave you guys to chapter 6 of Death's Blossom. Enjoy!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

Her lips were soft. Her hair smelled sweet, like peaches. I lowered my hands so they fell on her hips. It felt so perfect.

Our bodies seemed to meld together as the kiss grew deeper and more passionate.

I felt her hands against my chest, slowly curling into fists. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I hoped it wouldn't end. Everything was _perfect_. It was a dream.

But then I woke up.

I felt force on my chest as she started pushing away. She looked up at me with tears streaming down her cheeks.

My heart dropped when she stepped away from me. "What-"

She shook her head and raised her hand.

...

I reeled back from the shock as the crack echoed throughout the room. She rested her arm by her side, but she refused to look away. I looked back at her, mystified. The side of my face was red from the impact, and the vibrating sensation remained.

We both stood there in silence, each expecting the other to speak first. _I don't understand… What did I do wrong?_ She lowered her eyes and started to walk past me. I quickly turned around and reached to grab her arm.

"Ang-"

But she snatched her arm away. She paused for a moment, holding her arm close to her breast. She looked away before rushing out of the Medbay.

So, I was left there. _Alone_. I started blankly where Angela had once stood. _That's it. Just like that, she's gone. And she won't come back. Not for you._ I clenched my fists.

 _Of course she left. You basically forced yourself onto her. God, you're so stupid._

 _I need to find her. Tell her that I'm sorry._

 _And you think she'll accept that? Face it, you've lost it. She thinks you're insane._

 _She wouldn't think that. She's… she's not like that._

 _Whatever you say. But are you really ready to have your heart broken a second time?_

I shook the thought out of my head. I steadied myself and walked out to look for Angela.

 _If you were going to chase her, you should have gone sooner. Who knows where she could've gone?_

I went with my gut and headed over to the lobby first.

 _Oh, I know! She's probably out talking to the first person she saw, crying about how Gabriel Reyes forced himself on her._

I stopped in my tracks. _No, she wouldn't do that._

I grimly chuckled, _No, actually, she absolutely would. Who wouldn't? Jack probably got to her first, before you even woke up._

 _Shut up._

 _Probably told her to get you suspended from action. Wouldn't be that hard. She knows how you feel about her. Why wouldn't she take advantage of that?_

 _Shut up._

 _Face it. The girl isn't who you thought she was. She's a lying, cheating, manipulating wh-_

 _Shut up!_

My heart was beating faster and my breathing started getting heavier. With every second, my vision grew more and more unfocused.

" _Gabe? Gabe, you ain't lookin so hot._ "

"I said, _Shut up!_ " I swung around. Everything looked red. As I forced myself to breathe slower, my vision began to clear.

" _Gabe?_ "

I blinked and saw Jesse next to me, waving his hand in front of my face. I scowled, " _What?_ "

I raised his hands up, surrendering. "Whoa there. Looks like I caught ya in a bad time. I'll talk to you later when you're feeling more up to it."

I groaned as I raised my hand, "No, _wait_. What were you going to say?"

He crossed his arms, "Well, you know. I heard that you were promoted to the head of Blackwatch, and well, I figured I'd be the one to give you the message."

I raised a brow, "The _message?_ "

He grinned as he started walking away, motioning for me to follow, "Yeah. Looks like they need you for an interrogation."

When I caught up, I asked, "So, you're telling me that I'm in charge of an _elite_ squad of well-trained soldiers who can't even handle a simple interrogation?"

He shrugged, "Usually, the guy'd be talkin by now, but this one's stubborn."

The rest of the walk was uneventful. At some point, we arrived at a private room. Clearly, it was meant for Blackwatch operations. I'd seen some rooms like this one before, but I never cared enough to check them out. _Looks like I'll have to start getting used to them._ I opened the door to head inside, but Jesse didn't follow me.

"Alright. Well, this is where I drop you off."

I turned to look at him, "Drop me off? You're not coming with?"

He shook his head, "I wish I could, but Jack's having me hold off some riot up in Russia with Reinhardt."

I furrowed my brows, "A riot?"

He gave an annoyed sigh before nodding his head, "Yeah. Apparently, there's some people who aren't satisfied with how we ended the war. Haven't even gone through with the ceremony yet, and already people are screaming for blood. Whatever blood Omnics have, I guess."

 _Oh, right. I remember hearing about the ceremony. All of us are supposed to meet up for the signing of the official treaty between Omnics and humans. I suppose it should be a touching thought, but I've got other things to worry about right now._

"Alright. You better get going then. I'll be fine on my own."

He tipped his hat before turning and leaving. Once he was out of sight, I stepped inside the room, closing the door behind me.

It was a dark room. Hardly any light, except some coming from the computers and holopads. There was a group of people standing around, looking at me. Each had a Blackwatch logo somewhere on their outfits.

It was a skull with red eyes and a symbol of a knife in the middle. The logo was encompassed by a red circle, similar to the Overwatch symbol.

There was a large tinted window that showed a man, chained up to a chair in the other room. He looked lanky with graying hair and a goatee. He had a black eye and some bruises around his body, but he still wore a grin on his face. I turned to the closest person to me, "So, what's the situation?"

A hispanic woman pulled out a folder and seemed to look through a paper inside.

"This man is suspected to be a former agent of Talon. He was arrested under acts of terrorism, and now he's been sentenced to execution." She closed the folder. "We've been ordered to interrogate him for any names of other Talon operatives before his execution."

I nodded, looking around for something. "What have you gotten out so far?"

She shook her head, annoyed. "Nothing yet. It seems like the knowledge that he's going to die is motivating him to keep silent."

 _Hmm. Ah. There it is._ I walked across the room. "And what have you tried?"

She looked confused as she watched me, "Um, threats and some physical abuse. As you can see, we've left him with some marks to remind him why he should cooperate."

 _Great. I'm working with a team of amateurs._ I approached a tall man who was leaning up against the wall. "There's your problem. That kind of method wouldn't make _child_ talk. Now..." I reached down and pulled the man's knife out of his sheath.

" _This_ is how you make a man talk."

She looked unnerved as she said, "What are you planning to do with that?"

I rolled my eyes before walking to the next room. "I'm gonna do what I was hired to do. I'm gonna get the job done."

I stopped before stepping into the room and looked back, "If any of you can't handle the sight of blood, it'd probably be best if you left the room."

For the next half hour, screams of pain echoed throughout the room.

" _Anyone else?_ "

" _No. No, I swear, that's all I know. That's everyone I've ever heard of and met at Talon. Please, just stop…_ " The man's head was hanging low. His smile had long since past. I nodded in satisfaction as I took a step back to admire my work.

His shirt had been torn open from the several cuts that I inflicted on him. A number of his fingers were missing, and blood pooled out onto his chair. The knife was sticking out of his leg, just barely out of his reach.

 _Now, this is a way to get your mind off her. Nothing like pushing your pain onto someone el-_

My thoughts were interrupted as the man begged me to stop and that he wasn't lying. I sighed as I unholstered my shotgun. "Relax." I said as I raised my gun to the back of his skull, "I believe you."

A shot rang out. A few seconds later, I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. The same woman from before stormed up to me. "We weren't supposed to _kill_ him. You had no right to do that."

I shot a glare in her direction. " _No right?_ I did my job." As I said this, I tossed a clipboard with the list of Talon agents that I learned from the captive onto a table. "And besides. He was dead anyways, I did him a favor by ending it quickly so he didn't have to suffer until the execution."

She didn't look convinced. I sighed before grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down. "Look. Most, if not all, of you should know by now that I'm the new leader of Blackwatch. That means things are going to change around here."

Everyone glanced at each other nervously. "I'll be completely honest with you. That shit you were doing before was _pathetic_. Under me, you're going to learn how to get the job done properly."

Some of them noticeably stiffened when I said that. "If any of you don't think you can handle that, leave immediately." I paused before continuing, "But if you decide to stay, I can guarantee that you'll be trained to be the elite soldiers you were said to be." I took this opportunity to stand and survey everyone's reactions.

"You'll be fearless, skilled, and respected by everyone who knows your name. By the end of the year, you'll be taking on missions quickly and flawlessly. But that's only _if_ you're willing to stay. Once you start, there's no turning back."

I crossed my arms before finishing up the speech, "So, what's it going to be?"

The room was silent. I saw some men looking at each other, grinning, while others looked away, thinking seriously about their decision.

The woman from before spoke up, "I don't approve of your methods. They're unjustified, and it's breaks protocol in every possible way."

I opened my mouth to retort, but she cut me off, " _But_ ," I see smile creep onto her face. "Since when has Blackwatch had to follow protocol." She walked up to me and extended her hand.

I smiled as we shook hands. Once we broke contact, she straightened her back as she gave me a salute. "It'll be an honor to fight under your command, Commander Reyes."

There was a moment of silence before one by one, members began to join in the salute. Soon, the entire room joined in, and I stood there, frozen in awe.

 _Honor._

 _Commander Reyes._

This is how it should have been. This is how it should've been since the very beginning.

I chuckled as I crossed my arms. "Alright. We'll get started tomorrow. Check in, bright and early. We've got a lot of work to do if I'm supposed to have you trained by the end of the year. But for now, you're dismissed."

They broke their positions as, one by one, they came over, shook hands with me, and left. Once everyone had gone, I was left alone in the room. I sat down in the chair and leaned back. As I stared at the ceiling, a thought passed through my head that made me grin like a madman.

 _I'm gonna show the world why Jack Morrison is nothing compared to me._

* * *

 _And that was it! Once again, sorry this chapter was so short. I was on a tight schedule, and I didn't have that much time to work on it. Also, I've got some bad news._

 _WARNING: School is gonna be starting in two days for me, which means the time I'll have to work on these chapters will be tremendously cut. On average, I spend about 8-10 hours a days working on these. I know, it sounds like way too much time for chapters like these. But I spend so much time on it because I love writing them. That being said, depending on the day, my work time could be cut in half, which means that I won't nearly have as much time as I do now. So, I've decided to change my release schedule up a little. In order to release chapters with the same quality that I have been, I'll most likely be pushed to posting a chapter every two days. If I'm able to do otherwise, then you'll most likely have a post early. This only applies to the week days. On the weekends, I'll most likely be more free, so I'll have time to write chapters once a day._

 _With that out of the way, I'd just like to say thank you to all of you who've been consistently keeping up with the story. Every time one of you guys give me a review, telling me how much you enjoyed it, it really touches my heart and encourages me to work harder to keep pumping these out. As most of you remember, this is my first time writing and posting a story like this, and it's really motivating to hear that you guys are actually enjoying it._

 _So, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you all for reading and I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter of Death's Blossom!_

 _~Atlas_


	7. The Fall of Reyes

The following years passed by without much notice. I kept my word and trained Blackwatch to become the soldiers I wanted them to be. And luckily enough for me, they did so without falter in their loyalty. In time, I had them carrying out the missions that Overwatch was too afraid to do. Assassination of terrorists, blackmailing, some cases of torture, whatever was necessary to get the job done.

The United Nations tried several times to shut us down, calling what we did _inhumane_ and _clear acts of defiance_ , but once we showed them the results, the complaints came to a stop. Truthfully, it took some _persuading_ , but ultimately, Blackwatch still stands, carrying out missions from the shadows.

As for Angela, things were never the same between us. Of course, I was bound to be stuck with her in the same room every now and then, but we always turned our attentions to something else. Whatever hope I'd clung to, I buried in the ground myself.

It was better this way. With her out of my life, I could dedicate all of my focus to Blackwatch. Twenty years had passed since we ended the Omnic Crisis, and my relationships hadn't gotten any better with the other members of Overwatch. Jesse was the only person I stayed in contact with, excluding the times I had to participate in the board meetings with Morrison and the others.

" _Reyes? Commander Reyes?_ "

I blinked as my internal monologue came to an end. A hispanic woman stiffly stood in front of me with a worried expression. I cleared my throat, "What do you want, _Agent?_ "

I didn't bother learning any of their names. They were just soldiers. Names didn't matter as long as they did their job properly, and they did.

She sighed in relief before looking serious again, "Permission to speak informally?"

I nodded before motioning for her to continue, "Granted."

She looked back at the rest of the Blackwatch agents before looking back at me. "We've noticed that you've been out of it for the last few days. We've heard some rumors that you haven't been sleeping properly. So, we think that you should take a break. At least for a day or two so you can clear your mind."

I raised my hand to silence her before reaching over to pick up a clipboard. I waved it around, "I don't need a break. What I _need_ is to finish this report to explain what" I made air quotes, " _went wrong_ in the last operation."

She raised an eyebrow as she snatched the clipboard out of my hand, " _We'll_ do the report. You get that rest."

I stood up, "I am your _commander_. Now, give-" She stepped back, handing the clipboard off to someone else. "I don't think so. At the very least, go find Jesse or something. He hasn't been around for training for the past few weeks."

I lowered my head, "Clearly, I spoiled all of you." I looked up into each of their eyes. "When I get back, you're all doing 10 laps around the campus." I said as I walked over to the door. I heard a chorus of groans as I closed the door behind me.

 _Jesse hasn't been at training? So much for watching my back._ I made my way down to the dormitories and found Jesse's room. I was about to knock on the door when I realized that it was open. I pushed it open and saw Jesse's back.

He was packing his clothes into a bag. He looked like he was in a rush.

"Jesse?"

He partially turned his head, noticing me, before going back to packing. "Hey Gabe."

"What are you doing?"

I saw him sigh before turning fully around. "I'm leaving, Gabe. I ain't stayin in Blackwatch anymore."

I furrowed my brows, "Why not?"

He scoffed, looking away, before looking back at me with anger in his eyes. "Because it ain't right. What you've done to Blackwatch. It used to be just. It did things quietly, but nothing ever went past the moral boundaries. But ever since you've been put in charge, everything's gone downhill." He shifted his footing, "Face it, Gabe. Jack's right. You're changing, and you need to-"

" _Jack?_ " I interrupted, "Oh, for _fucks_ sake. _You've been talking to Morrison?_ "

"He's my boss, Gabe. I was bound to talk to him at some point-"

" _I'm_ your boss. _I'm_ your captain. You obey _my_ orders, not _his._ "

He stared at me for a moment. "Not anymore. I'm leaving, and that's final." He turned to zip up his bag, pulling it onto his shoulder.

It was my turn to scoff as leaned against the wall. "Oh yeah? And where are you gonna go? Back to that pathetic excuse of a gang that I picked you out of? Face it, you've got nowhere else to go."

He didn't say anything as he brushed past me, walking through the door. I called out, "What happened to _watching my back_?"

He paused before looking back at me, his eyes dead, "I've always had your back, Gabe." With that, he walked out of my sight. My breathing slowly became heavier as the realization that he left just hit me.

" _Damn it!_ " I swung around and threw my fist into the wall, creating a dent. My breathing slowed down as I realized what he said. _Jack._

 _Morrison did this._ I scowled as I immediately stormed to the command deck. It was a large, computer filled room that overlooked the lobby. It had a one way window that filled the entire wall so people sitting in the lobby wouldn't be put off by the room.

It was a new installment since more and more riots were happening around the world. When the Omnic Crisis ended, there was a period of time when criminal activity significantly decreased. Some referred to it as a golden age. Overwatch teams were sent everywhere there were calls for help. But recently, people have been unsatisfied with our help. They claim we're evil, that _we're_ the criminals.

 _What idiots._

Once I arrived at the command deck, I saw Morrison's back as he looked down at the lobby.

As I stomped my way over to him, I shouted, " _Hey Morrison. You got some shit you want to say to me?_ "

When he turned around, he had a look of genuine shock on his face, "Oh, Gabe. I was actually just about to look for you." Then he looked awkward, as he lowered his eyes, "And yeah. There is something I need to tell you."

I crossed my arms, "Don't waste my time, Morrison."

He looked me in the eyes, "As you know, people have begun to… lose their faith in us."

"You mean in _you_?"

He narrowed in his eyes as he grit his teeth. "You know, it's funny that you say that, _Gabe._ Because it looks like your _team_ is the main source of our problems."

I growled, " _Excuse me?_ "

"Your team's been bringing Overwatch attention. Attention that we don't want. Have you heard what they're accusing us of-"

"As far as I'm concerned, all that Blackwatch is guilty of is picking up Overwatch's slack while you spend your focus on _riot control_."

He noticeably clenched his fists, "The point is, time and time again, we've had to vouch for you and have constantly-"

"Just cut to the chase, Morrison. What's the problem?"

"We're shutting Blackwatch down."

My eyes widened as I processed what was just said. "That's funny. I could have sworn that you just said that you were shutting-"

This time, he cut me off. " _Shutting Blackwatch down._ I'm sorry, Gabe. But, with the way the public's been reacting-"

" _Fuck the public. You think you can just do this without talking to me first?_ "

His eye twitched, "Well, _you_ should have thought about talking to _me_ first before you broke protocol. For fucks sake, _torturing? Assassinations?_ You're giving us a bad reputation."

I laughed bitterly, "Oh, so _that's_ what this is about. _Your reputation._ Poor Jack Morrison can't handle a little dirt on his file. How _pathetic._ " I spit out.

His face turned red as he barked out, "That's _enough!_ I am _finished_ trying to defend you. _What_ _is your problem?_ _You've had it out for me since the very beginning._ I want to know why."

I scowled, "You want to know my _problem?_ My _problem_ is that you have _ruined my life!_ You have taken _everything_ from me. My _job_ , my _reputation_ , _Angela_ , and now _Blackwatch?_ I'm not just gonna _sit here_ and let you _take_ the only thing I have left."

" _Angela?_ " He laughed. "You have _got_ to be kidding me. _You think she was yours?_ She would _never_ go for a guy like you."

I set my jaw, "Shut up."

"Oh my god, is _that_ why you've been avoiding her. For the past twenty years, you haven't talked to her or anyone else because you were afraid _she wouldn't like you back?_ "

" _Shut up._ "

"You're calling _me_ pathetic, when you don't even have the balls to _talk_ to her. You think you're better than me? Well, guess what?"

I glared furiously at him as I waited for the words that would push me over the edge.

" _You are nothing compared to me._ "

I roared as I charged at him, tackling him into the ground. We crashed into a bunch of chairs and computers, knocking them over. I threw a punch, striking him across the jaw, before relentlessly beating into his face.

He retaliated by blocking a punch and landing a shot of his own, successfully knocking me off of him. He rolled over on top of me, throwing some punches of his own before I reached up and pulled his head towards mine, headbutting him backwards. He stumbled into a desk, knocking more computers onto the ground.

I got up and ran my shoulder into his gut, but when I did, he clasped his hands together and smashed them into the back of my neck. My legs gave out as I crumbled to the floor.

Morrison looked down at me. His face was already bruised and his nose was bloodied.

"It's over, Gabe. You need to give up while you can."

 _Need?_ I felt a vein pulse in my neck as I remembered the conversation that started this mess to begin with. And for once, my mind and my mouth spoke the same thing.

" _I don't need anyone._ " I glanced at the large glass window behind him.

" _The only thing I need is for maggots to stop getting in my way!_ " I shouted as I pushed myself up and tackled him again through the window. The glass shattered as we fell through, lodging some pieces in his back. While we were falling, Morrison grabbed me by the shoulders and quickly turned us around, leaving me on the bottom just before we hit the ground.

I felt a crunch in my back as I'm pretty sure I broke some ribs from the fall. While he had cushion, the impact forced Morrison to tumble off to the side to avoid any real damage. I groaned as I slowly picked myself up.

My vision cleared enough for me to see Morrison running in my direction. Growling, I rushed forward to meet him halfway. Before he could stop, I grabbed his arms and spun around, throwing him, head first, into the wall behind pressure sent a searing pain through my body.

 _I need to fall back. I can't win a fight against him out in the open._ I retreated out of the room and began running as fast as I could with the broken ribs. _Where could I go where he couldn't fight me properly?_

An image appeared in my memory. _That's perfect._ I thought. I quickly changed directions as I heard a furious shout in the distance. " _Gabe!_ " I looked behind and saw Morrison burst through the door, just barely catching himself on the wall. He looked in my direction and immediately began sprinting to chase me down.

I sharply turned corners and threw any obstacle I could in my tracks so I could slow his pursuit. I saw the door leading to the stairwell and immediately pushed through it. I skidded to stop as I looked down the stairwell. The place I wanted to go to was at the very bottom level, and Morrison was hot on my trail, so walking down the stairs wouldn't cut it. Jumping down was too dangerous without something to break my fall, so-

At this moment, Morrison charged through the door. In one fluid motion, I reached out, grabbed his collar, and pulled both of us over the railing. We brutally beat each other as we fell, every now and then crashing into a rail before resuming the fall.

As we approached the bottom of the fall, Morrison reached up to pull the same move as last time, but I was ready. I grabbed his arms and twisted myself so my legs were on his abs before kicking him away from me. After he plummeted into the ground, I landed next to him and rolled away from him. Despite all that effort to lessen the impact, the force still shook my legs to the core.

I dragged myself up with the support of a wall. I looked back at Morrison. His body was still, and seriously damaged. He was bleeding all over, particularly around the stomach and the chest. For a split second, I thought that I had killed him, until I saw his hand twitch. I slowly started stepping backwards as I watched him groan as he painfully pulling himself up.

It was then that I realized the truth of the situation.

 _Only one of us is walking out of here alive._

I turned and limped my way into a familiar scene. I reached out and grabbed whatever weapon I could, which happened to be a default rifle, and fired in Morrison's direction. He took a shot to the arm, but managed to slip past the rest. Once the magazine ran out of ammo, I dropped the gun entirely. I quickly snatched a knife out of a container and turned a corner.

 _This doesn't look familiar._

I stopped in front of a row of large Tesla generators. I turned around to go down a different path when I saw Jack walk around the corner and throw a punch.

I hit the ground as I felt my nose break. I scowled as I slid the knife out of sight behind my back.

"You were my friend, Gabe. My _closest_ friend." His breathing was dry and heavy. "We said… we said we'd be _heroes_ together. _What happened to that?_ "

I gripped the handle as I spit out, "Don't make me laugh."

I stared him down as I snarled,

" _You were never a hero._ "

With that, I leapt at him, swinging the knife at his face.

He leaned back to dodge, but the knife hit it's mark. The blade cut through the skin in a diagonal motion from his forehead to his cheek. I kept the momentum and swung upwards, partially cutting the edge of his lips before he grabbed my arm and disarmed me.

With the knife out of the way, he pushed me further back before shoving me backwards. I crashed into one of the generators, smashing through the metal shell.

I shifted my arms to push myself out, when suddenly I felt a burning hot pain course through my body. I screamed as electricity slowly began to roast my skin. It started at my fingertips and my chest before creeping its way through the rest of my body.

I faintly heard as an alarm went off. The entire room began to flash red as a muffled mechanical voice spoke, warning us about something. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I felt my body spasm as the electric currents surged through my body, using my bones as a catalyst.

What made it worse was that the entire time, my eyes were fixed on Jack. I watched as he stood there and did nothing. I watched as he looked away and started to leave. I watched as he hesitated and momentarily turned back before running away. _Running away from me._ Past all of the pain, I felt the floor tremble as the ceiling began to crumble.

I slowly and shakingly closed my eyes to block out all the chaos. Once I did, several memories leading up to this moment passed through my mind.

 _You sure this is it?_

 _From what I hear, she's not a big fan of our work._

 _I'm tired of seeing good people die._

 _Are you with us?_

 _She was kind of cute, right?_

 _I feel like I betrayed them._

 _I hate you._

 _You love me._

 _You ready to start your new life, Doc?_

 _I knew you couldn't resist the chance to see your boy workin' the python._

 _That's why, once you become the head of Blackwatch, I'll finally be able to watch your back._

 _I wanted to call you something that you would recognize me from._

 _Please come back safely._

 _Heroes never die._

 _Gabe, I'm trusting you on this._

 _Angela, you're with Jack._

 _Get out of my way, monkey._

 _Shut up!_

 _We did it!_

 _Please step forward, Jack Morrison._

 _You're not coming with us._

 _I don't need you anymore._

 _Morrison, you son of a bitch. Get back here!_

 _Gabriel…_

 _I don't need anyone!_

 _I love you._

 _It'll be an honor to fight under your command, Commander Reyes._

 _Jack's right. You're changing._

 _I'm leaving._

 _I've always had your back, Gabe._

 _We're shutting Blackwatch down._

 _You have taken everything from me._

 _You are nothing compared to me._

 _The only thing I need is for maggots to stop getting in my way!_

 _You were my friend, Gabe._

 _You were never a hero._

…

…

As the last memory came to an end, the ceiling collapsed, falling on everything in the room, _including me._

Then, the pain stopped. My body turned cold. I felt… _calm._ For once in my life, I felt like nothing was wrong in the world.

It was bliss.

I felt relief.

No more anger.

No more pain.

 _But nothing good in the world lasts forever._


	8. Meeting with Death

" _Gabriel!_ "

...

" _You have to stay with me!_ "

...

" _You will be okay. You will, I promise."_

...

I gasped for breath as my eyes shot open. I momentarily glanced around. It looked like I was in a warm looking room on a king sized bed. There was a door and an open doorway leading to a bathroom. Windows were spread out among the walls, showing that I was upstairs. _Where am I?_ I thought, slowly sitting up. I groaned as a shock of pain trembled through my body.

I clenched my fists and forced myself up. "God. Why the hell is my body so sore?"

I stumbled over across the room to the door. I reached out and turned the knob, but it was locked. I scowled as I fruitlessly shook the knob, knowing it wouldn't open.

My body was in constant pain. I was getting slightly numb to it, but it still lingered. I looked to the side and walked over to the bathroom. My hands trembled as I turned the corner. It was a quaint little room. Small enough to hold the basic necessities, but big enough to make sure you weren't uncomfortable. I approached the sink and looked into the mirror.

I must have stared at the reflection for half an hour. My heart stopped and my breathing came to a halt. I was… _scarred_. So… horribly _scarred._

 _Pitch black eyes._

I could hardly recognize myself. The facial structure was the only memorable thing that remained. _Everything else..._

I looked away, shutting my eyes to the disgusting image in front of me.

 _He was hideous._

I breathed heavily to keep myself from panic. _How did this happen?_ My eyes widened as I looked down at my hands. They were _burned._ My fingers slowly curled into a fist. The scorching pain returned as tears began to stream down my cheeks. Images flashed through my mind as I tried desperately to unearth memories that would reveal what had happened to me.

 _You were never a hero._

I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned.

 _I crashed into one of the generators,_

"No. _No, no, no…_ "

 _I screamed as electricity slowly began to burn my skin._

I whispered under my breath, "I should be dead."

 _It was bliss._

" _I should be dead!_ " I shouted at the top of my lungs, swinging around and throwing my fist into the mirror.

I stood there, staring dumbly at the shards of glass scattered on the ground.

 _Second time doing this. Very original._

...

 _You need to find out who did this._

I slowly walked out of the bathroom. Turning to the side, I saw a picture frame that seemed to have fallen.

 _This seems too… convenient._

 _But I don't care._

I reached down and picked it up off the floor and slowly turned it around. My hands shook as I unconsciously swallowed. I shuddered as I cautiously breathed in and out to calm myself.

It was a picture of a younger looking Angela Ziegler sitting with an older man, presumably her father. She was smiling. _Smiling._

 _I should be dead._

 _You shouldn't be alive. Your body was destroyed. There's only one person who could have changed that._

My grip tightened on the frame before I roared, throwing it into the wall.

" _Angela!_ "

I walked over to the door, banging on it, uncontrollably shouting, " _Angela, what have you done to me?!_ "

" _Why did you bring me back?!_ "

I growled before throwing my foot into the door, splintering the wood as I broke through. I pulled my foot out and reached my hand in. The broken wood cut into my skin, but it didn't hurt me any more than I already was.

I felt around until I grabbed the lock and turned it. In one swift movement, I pulled my arm out and shoved the door open. " _Angela, answer me!_ " Stepping out, I saw a spiral staircase down to the bottom floor. I sprinted downstairs and searched every room, yelling her name in vain.

 _She's not here, you idiot. Nobody is. Just shut up and wait for her to come back, so you can make her explain what happened._

My mind blanked as I walked over to the dining room table. I pulled a seat and sat down. My heart was racing and I could hardly sit still. But I forced myself to. Until I heard something metal drop in the kitchen.

I shot up, knocking the chair back. Cautiously, I made my way to the source of the noise. I stopped at the entrance of the kitchen and saw a fallen pot, with its contents spilled all over the floor. Looked like Angela was making soup or something. I sighed as my shoulder relaxed. I walked over to clean up the mess, when I saw movement in the corner of my eye.

I just barely managed to pull my arms up, catching the assailant's wrist as the point of a knife's blade was held an inch from my eye. I grit my teeth as I twisted the arm, forcing it to drop the knife, but with impressive agility, the assassin reached down with their other hand and grabbed the handle. They quickly followed by thrusting the blade, aiming for my gut, but my battle instincts kicked in.

I twisted my body, dodging the attack, and aggressively pulled the arm towards me, before smashing my skull into theirs. The assassin stumbled back, dropping the knife again, before falling on their back.

It was then that I finally got a good look at the assailant. It was a man, slightly on the shorter side. He wore a dark t-shirt with a military vest on top of it, and cargo jeans. His face was masked by a helmet that I recognized instantly. _Talon._

I approached him, cracking my knuckles as I prepared myself to brutally eliminate him before Angela returned. That was when I felt a familiar prick in my neck. I groaned as I already realized what happened. Sharply turning around, I elbowed the hidden attacker. Before I could see who it was, my vision had already begun to blur.

I began to stumble around squinting at the silhouette of the person who drugged me. I couldn't get a good fix on their face, but they had a feminine figure. She seemed to have reeled back from the strike before walking calmly towards me. I leaned back against the counter, just barely keeping myself up.

I managed to mutter out, my words slurred, "You want more _, bitch?_ " At the time, my mind wasn't able to fully comprehend what was abnormal of the woman. _Her skin was blue._ I struggled to keep my eyes open as she stopped right in front of me. My eyes widened when I heard her speak.

"I've always heard you were pathetic when you were drunk."

I blinked as I heard the woman speak. She had a thick French accent that seemed to fade away the longer I heard it. Everything in the background began to fade to black before the voice finally sparked a memory. As she pulled out a rifle, I was able to clumsily say in between breaths,

" _Amelie?_ "

Then everything went dark as she struck my head with the butt of her rifle.

 _Lights repeatedly flashed with seemingly no pattern._

 _I walked through the town, people turning to greet me with a smile before the lights flashed again. Then each person was gone, instead replaced by a corpse._

 _Soon, people stopped greeting me. Instead, they decided to run. That was fine. It's more fun when they run. Bodies fell as their backs were caught by the shots from my shotguns._

 _I heard a noise behind, so I quickly swung around and shot them in the stomach. My eyes narrowed when I saw who it was._

 _I watched as Morrison fell, his eyes wide with shock. When his body hit the ground, I paused before a grin crept onto my face._

 _I unloaded the rest of my rounds into his chest, his body shuddering with every shot. When I had run out of shells, my heart dropped as I noticed that the face had changed._

 _Gerard's face was frozen in terror as blood began to trickle down the side of his mouth. I grit my teeth before reloading my shotguns and firing another round into the center of his chest. Once I did, his face had changed again._

 _Jesse, Winston, Ana, Lena, Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Genji, and several other familiar faces from Overwatch looked in horror as I let out shot after shot into their chest._

 _I turned around before I could kill anyone else. I bowed my head as I internally sobbed at what I'd done. My breath stopped as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I slowly turned my head, my eyes widening as I saw concerned eyes staring back at me._

 _Her pure innocent eyes seemed to peer into my soul. My voice got caught in my throat as I breathlessly whispered,_

 _Angela._

 _She gave me a light smile, touching my cheek with her palm. I leaned into the touch I had longed for, for so long. The moment abruptly ended as I felt a twitch in my hand._

 _I watched as my arm slowly lifted up my shotgun and pointed it at her stomach. She noticed it too, looking down at the gun. She looked into my eyes and shook her head, mouthing the word,_

 _Please._

 _My face twisted in pain as tears began to escape. I opened and closed my mouth as I desperately tried to throw away the weapon._

 _Realizing the futility, I sucked in a breath and mouthed back to the doctor,_

 _I'm sorry._

 _Then, the last shot rang out._

 _And another lifeless body fell to the floor._

I opened my eyes and immediately noticed the change in environment. I silently let out a breath as I realized that I was laying in a bed again. This was a noticeably duller room than the one I'd previously woken up in.

The walls were grey. A metal door and a window, blocked off by bars, were the only obstructions in the surroundings. I laid my head back as my heart rate slowed down.

" _Rendez-vous avec la mort._ "

My body tensed as I looked up and saw Amelie standing in the shadows, her eyes fixed on me.

I growled as I tried to lunge at her. The attempt was cut short as chains forced me back on the bed. I fruitlessly pulled at the chains before eventually giving up and sinking into the bed.

 _Great. At least when I'm being tortured, I don't have to worry about being comfortable. How considerate._

I stared blankly at the ceiling, "What do you want?"

She seemed to smile as she stepped out of the darkness. "I merely desire to help you."

I laughed bitterly, " _You_ want to help me? You knocked me out."

" _You hit me._ " She snapped, her smile momentarily recovered. She quickly recovered before continuing, "It's only right that you expect the same in return."

The room went quiet after that. The silence was broken as Amelie opened her mouth to speak.

"Would you like to be released?" I lifted my head to see her point at my arms, "From your chains?"

I scoffed, reluctant to let her anywhere near me, but ultimately nodding my head.

She slowly walked towards me, her hips swaying as she did. Each step was meticulously made to add to her seductive appeal. When she reached the bed, she crawled on top so she was straddling me.

 _So this is how she works._ I glared at her, motioning with my head for her to move on.

She looked into my eyes and gave a smirk before pulling out a key and, at a torturously slow pace, unlocked the chain. Once one arm was free, I reached out and snatched the key from her. I twisted my body and released my other arm.

I sat up before realizing that Amelie and I were now face to face. I looked at her body before asking. " _What happened to you?_ "

Her face quickly looked uninterested as she lifted herself off the bed, one leg at a time.

She waved her hand nonchalantly, "I merely went through a transformation."

I folded my arms, "I can see that. _You're blue._ You want to explain _why?_ "

She shot a glare in my direction, "Talon has trained me to be the perfect assassin." She touched the side of her head with a finger, "That means perfection in mind." Then she rested her hand on her chest, over the heart, "And in body."

 _So Talon did this._

She continued, "I see that you have changed as well."

I looked away, immediately conscious of the state of my own body.

"Did Morrison do that to you?"

I faced her as she began to set up a computer on the bed.

 _Where'd she get that from?_

I scowled, "Yes. _He did._ "

Her back remained turned to me, "That's too bad. Yet, it was expected."

" _What's that mean?_ "

She shrugged, "You were filled with too many emotions. The fight was bound to happen."

I took a step in her direction, " _And how do you know about the fight?_ "

She spun around and faced me. "Simple. Talon had people hidden in Overwatch. When they saw how you were _different_ from the others, they ordered me to retrieve you."

I looked past her and noticed a chat box open on the screen. I absentmindedly asked, "How'd you know where I was?"

She stepped aside, "That's unimportant. Now, someone is waiting to speak to you."

My eyes shifted between her and the screen before I approached the computer.

A line was blinking in an open box, but above it was a text in big bold letters.

" **Hello, Gabriel Reyes."**

I looked over at Amelie, raising a brow. "Who is it?"

She shook her head and gestured at the computer screen. I looked back and saw another sentence.

" **It's rude to look away when someone is speaking to you."**

I sighed as I looked up at the ceiling. "I'm _not_ talking to a computer."

" **Even if I said that I could help you?"**

I stared at the text before hesitantly asking, "How could you help me?"

" **Reputation, power, your body, revenge."**

 _My body?_ I was already talking an inanimate object. I may as well try to go deeper.

I scoffed, "And you're supposed to do that for me? If you _really_ did your research, you would know that I don't do _partners_."

" **Yes. Your last one didn't end so well."**

I grit my teeth at the memory, "Oh, so you _did_ do your research."

" **I have access to an unlimited amount of information."**

I grunted. _I need to dig deeper, see what I can try to find out._ "If you have that much information, you tell me something. _Why would I willingly join a group of terrorists that I've spent so long trying to shut down?_ "

For a moment, nothing happened. The line just continuously blinked until a large block of text appeared.

" **If you want to back out, that's fine.**

 **But realize that you're turning your back on the only opportunity to fix your body and get back at Overwatch.**

 **They took everything from you.**

 **Are you really going to just turn your back on this?"**

I clenched my fists as I read the words. _It's not wrong. Overwatch has taken so much from you. You put your life on the line for them, and they left you behind._

 _Just join Talon. You'll never really be on their side. Once you've got what you wanted, you can leave them behind._

 _But while you're with them, you may as well spoil yourself a little. Show Overwatch how they fucked up._

 _Make them regret what they did to you._

 _Make him regret what he did to you._

 _Destroy Morrison's precious Overwatch._

I glanced in Amelie's direction before looking at the screen. She stood there with a smile tugging at the edge of her lips. My heart began beating faster. _You deserve this._ I took a deep breath before opening my mouth,

"When do I start?"

There was a pause before one word appeared.

" **Good."**

A grin crept on my face as the final text followed seconds later.

" **My name is Sombra**

 **We're going to make a great team,"**

" **Partner."**


	9. Death's Blossom

_Hey guys, just wanted to start off by letting you know that I won't be able to post a chapter this Sunday. I have to study and memorize tons of stuff, so I'm not gonna have the time to write another chapter. Needless to say, this one took a while as well, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you guys enjoy reading it! Just a heads up, I'm almost guaranteed to be busy on Fridays, so I won't be able to post any chapters on that day, but I will be trying to stick to the one chapter per two days routine that I've set myself up for. Er... though, it's looking like that might not be possible. At the very least, I'll try to get at least one chapter out per week. I know, it sounds like I'm making excuses, but I'm really trying to make writing a priority. Unfortunately, with the classes and theater, I don't think I'll be able to handle it all and manage to stick to the schedule. But we'll see how it plays out. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter of Death's Blossom!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

"It's a Physiological Modification Pod. It will heals your scars."

" _I know that._ I'm asking why it's so damn _big._ "

I stood in front of the largest container I'd ever seen. It wasn't the first time I've seen one of that design. It reminded me of the pods back in the Soldier Enhancement Program, but double the size. _They probably stole it._

"It's designed to hold as large of a soldier as we need. Something you must learn if you're to stay with us. Efficiency is the priority."

I nodded as I ran my hand across the design. _God, this thing is big enough to hold two Crusaders._ _What the hell were they planning to put in here?_ "Did Talon use this on you?"

She nodded as she stared the glass screen of the pod. "They said that it would make me a better agent if they slowed my heart rate. It made me more difficult to detect and removed… _unnecessary_ variables."

"I see." _So that's why she's changed so much since I last saw her. But if this can fix me…_ "So, what are we waiting for?"

Her focus broke as she faced me. "Sombra is entering the program to properly rebuild your body. It should be ready in a moment."

Steam was released from the pod as the glass screen was lifted upwards. Amelie gestured for me to enter. I stepped inside and leaned back against the leather coating. I watched as Amelie reached up and grabbed the handle to the screen.

Before she could close it, I looked her in the eyes and asked, "You ever wonder what your life would be like if Overwatch never existed?"

We stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds.

"No."

With that, she shut the glass screen, closing me off in the pod. I took a deep breath and readied myself for the process. The pain lingered through all of my nerves, almost latching on. As gas began to fill the device, my vision turned dark.

* * *

" _Time to wake up._ "

My eyes drudgingly opened, everything still blurry. I blinked until my vision cleared. The glass screen had been lifted up again, but this time, a man stood in front me. Waiting,

He was an old looking man, with almost entirely white hair. He was on the larger side, and was wearing a labcoat with the Talon insignia sewed onto the shoulder.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?"

I looked down at my hands and flexed my fingers. I was… _normal._ My _skin_ wasn't scarred. It was slightly pale, but I didn't care as I tensed my muscles. "I feel…"

I looked up as I realized that the pain was gone. I felt _great._ I felt _relief._ I felt…

" _Stronger._ "

The old man chuckled as he nodded his head. "Good. _Very_ good." He seemed to expect my body. "A fine job, if I do say so myself."

I gave a light laugh as something caught my attention in my peripheral vision. I saw my reflection in the glass screen. I turned to the doctor before growling, "Hey _doc._ You missed a spot."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "My apologies. We have done all that we could. We've restored most of your facial structure, but I'm afraid the damage was too severe." He reached up and gripped my shoulder "The body can be reconstructed, but the face is not so simple. A face is… _unique._ It would be impossible to recreate one. Especially one as damaged as yours."

I scowled, brushing his hand aside as I stepped out of the pod. " _Fine._ The pain's gone. That's all that matters."

He gave a nod before walking away, motioning for me to follow. Once I was walking by his side, he spoke while looking straight ahead. "I hope you don't mind, but we took some liberties during your reconstruction."

My brow twitched, " _Liberties?_ _What liberties?_ "

"Well, as I'm sure you've seen with Agent Widowmaker, we tend to make certain modifications to our agents. Particularly, the ones we expect great things out of."

 _He's trying to sugarcoat it._ I grunted, "Just tell me what you did."

He sniffed, "You will discover the full extent of these altercations when you begin training. Simply put, we have made adjustments to your physiology in more ways than just rebuilding your body. We have added certain skills and abilities that will effectively work to improve your efficiency in the battlefield. We expect great things out of you, agent."

 _There's that word again. Efficiency._ "I don't need training. I-"

He cut me off, a grim tone in his voice. "Don't be foolish, _Mr. Reyes._ It only takes one mistake to ruin an entire operation. Don't make us regret helping you."

There was a moment of silence before we arrived at a door with a number pad. The old man looked at me with a smile on his face. "Now, most of your missions will be carried out by you alone. However, on some of the higher priority objectives, you may be called to take a partner with you, or perhaps a group of soldiers to assist in the operation."

I nodded as he began to enter a pin into a device. "Sounds like my kind of work." A second later, the door opened, revealing a large training area filled with droids and targets. The old man turned and began to walk away, "Wonderful. Then make sure you train your new abilities well."

I swung around and began to call out, " _But what are they?_ "

"I see you have met Doctor Richter."

I looked back to see Amelie walking towards me. "Is that his name? Seemed like he didn't want to tell me what he did to me."

She gave a light laugh as she turned and motioned for me to enter the room. "Yes, he does seem to enjoy the mystery. He probably wants you to feel the thrill of discovering your new self."

I walked into the room and noticed that my twin shotguns were lying on a table. As I reached over to pick them up, Amelie began to speak, "I have read your report. It seems that you won't have to worry about reloading anymore."

I straightened my back as I turned to face her, my guns in my hands. "What do you mean?"

She pointed at the weapons, "With your new outfit, you should be able to reform those shotguns whenever you run out of ammunition."

I stood there, confused by this new information. "Okay, there are two things strange about that statement. First of all, what new outfit? Second, how could the outfit _make_ new shotguns?"

Amelie walked up to some armory case and opened it up. Inside was a set of clothes on a rack. There was a trench coat with a hood, some skin tight ballistic armor, heavy metal boots and gauntlets, and a whole lot of belts. The whole outfit had a black and red color scheme.

"Looks very uh… _metal._ "

She raised a brow while she started pulling the clothes off the rack and handing them to me one by one. "I can't fully explain how it works, but I believe that it uses nano machines to create the shotguns. You just have to reach for your holster and it will instantly create one."

"Really? That seems a little too convenient if you ask me." I said as I started slipping out of my current clothes.

She seemed to stare at me while I changed outfits. I thought I'd crack a joke to ease the tension.

"What's wrong, Amelie? Like what you see?" I asked as I finished pulling on the skin tight armor.

She seemed to glare at me before saying, "Amelie is dead. My name is Widowmaker."

I awkwardly nodded before looking away. _So much for humor. How did Morrison do it?_ I stiffened as dark memories began to flood in.

 _He lied. He was always charming, but that was only so he could manipulate people._

 _What a bastard._

The rest of the time that I was changing was spent in silence. Occasionally, I looked back up to see Amelie walking around, interacting with different objects around the room. At some point, I see talking to a computer screen on a wall.

 _Must be Sombra. I should check it out._ I thought as I pulled my arm through the last sleeve of the trench coat. I fixed the coat as I walked over to Amelie.

"Good. Then startup the program."

"What program?" I asked as I walked up from behind. She only slightly acknowledged my presence as she answered, "The program for your training."

" **Hello Agent Reyes. It is pleasant to see that you're looking more acceptable."**

"Thank… you?"

" **It is unfortunate that Doctor Richter was unable to properly repair your facial deficiencies."**

I flinched as I unconsciously touched my face. "Er, yeah. It's too bad. But at least I look better than I did before."

" **Mostly."**

 _And there goes my pride._

" **Would you like for me to send a request for something that would possibly better your appearance?"**

 _Is she just trying to kill my confidence right now?_ "What? Like a mask?"

" **Precisely. It would be efficient in a list of things: Hiding your identity, adding an intimidation factor, making your appearance somewhat decent, etc."**

" _Okay!_ " I said, starting to get annoyed. "Sure, order me a mask. Whatever you want."

" **Is there any specific design that you would like to request? Anything particularly meaningful to you?"**

I rubbed my eyes, " _No._ I don't care what you-"

Then a memory flashed through my mind. It was a tiny detail from my first day in Blackwatch that lingered in my thoughts for a moment.

 _A skull with red eyes._

" **Very well. I shall send in a request for a mask of any design to be manufactured."**

" _Wait!_ " I scrambled over to my clothes that I had left on a counter, grabbed my jacket, and rushed back in a hurry. Brushing past Amelie, I held the shoulder pad up to the screen and pointed out the symbol on it.

"I want you to have them make something like this. Can you do that?" I asked, breathing heavily.

There was a pause as she seemed to be processing something. I was almost nervous that I didn't ask in time. A few more seconds passed before a bell rang out from the computer.

" **Your request has been processed."**

I let out a sigh of relief. As I saw a picture of the Blackwatch logo appear on the screen. I watched as it seemed to dissect the insignia, leaving just the skull.

" **Your mask will be made in approximately 24 hours."**

I nodded, satisfied. "Yes, thank you." I gave a light chuckle. "You know, you remind me of Athena."

Silence filled the air as Amelie sighed and began to shake her head in disapproval. Suddenly, the room began to feel a lot more ominous.

" **How dare you compare me to that pathetic piece of artificial garbage?"**

I opened and closed my mouth as I read through this first sign of emotion from the messages.

" **I am more than that program will ever be. I know more, I can do more, and I sure as hell shouldn't remind you of it."**

I swallowed as I made a mental note never to compare her to Athena again. "Yeah. For sure. Way better."

More silence.

" **Good."** I listened as machines in the training area began to whir as the area shifted to become a completely different field.

I glanced in Amelie's direction. "So what now?"

She said nothing as she walked over to another armory case and pulled out a high tech sniper rifle. She looked back at me over her shoulder.

"We train."

* * *

I stared out the window of a Talon aircraft. We were flying high above the clouds. It was almost peaceful. _Calm before the storm, I guess._

"You are nervous."

My head shot in Amelie's direction. She was staring at me. I scoffed, "Am I that obvious?"

She tilted her head, "Why? You have done several missions like this before."

I sighed before looking her dead in the eye. "Truthfully?" She nodded.

"It's because of you."

She gave away no sign of emotion, so I continued.

"You assassinated your husband in your sleep and you expect me to just trust you?"

This time, she answered, "It was my mission. I was to prove myself as the perfect assassin."

I leaned forward, "You know, he loved you. So much. To the point that, despite how many of us warned him about you, he still decided to bring you to his house after rescuing you. And you betrayed him. You're telling me that you don't feel a single sliver of guilt killing a man who loved you?"

She stared at me with a blank look on her face. "I never loved him. I have been trained by Talon for as long as I can remember. My role as his wife was merely to gain his trust."

I nodded, giving a grim smile, "And you did. Aren't you proud, _Widowmaker_?"

Silence.

I took in a deep breath, "Well, that's in the past now. It's our first mission together. I'd prefer if we didn't screw it up."

A light lit up above our seats. I stood up, "That's our signal." I walked over to the end of the aircraft as it began to open up. The aircraft flew still over our drop point.

I reached into my trench coat pocket and pulled out my mask. I looked it over for a moment. It was perfect. It was made of white steel and the inside was padded with a nanofiber material to make it more comfortable to wear. The design was exactly the way I wanted it. It would forever be a constant reminder of what I lost, and who I was.

During my training in Talon, I came to realize something. I began to understand what really happened my final day in Overwatch, and it _was_ _my final day._ That day, when I was being electrocuted to the point of burning, _I died._

I died and somehow, I was brought back. I don't know how, but I know that the key to my revival was Angela Ziegler. I'll return to Overwatch one day. I will find her, and _make_ her tell me what she did.

 _But for now,_ I thought as I positioned the mask over my face, _I have a job to do._

I reached into my holsters and let the nano machines work their magic. In a number of seconds, I was gripping two identical shotguns, holding them at ready. I looked over at Amelie and asked, "Any words of advice?"

She walked up so she was standing next to me, her back facing the opening. She looked over at me as she loaded her rifle. "Just one. A lesson that you know just as well as I do." She said as she activated her visor, covering her eyes.

" _A single death can change everything._ "

With that, she somersaulted backwards out of the aircraft, leaving me alone to think on what she said.

Underneath my mask, a smirk crept on my face. I chuckled as I stepped backwards. " _Show off._ "

Then, I let my body fall back, off of the plane. I turned my body in midair so I could see Amelie, skydiving with intense speed. Not wanting to fall behind, I straightened my body and started to catch up.

And so, I fell.


	10. Living in the Past

_Okay, just to give a heads up before the story begins. There's bound to be some botched German phrases in this chapter. I normally try to steer away from writing sentences in other languages, because if I don't know how to speak that language, I'm most likely going to seriously mess it up. If anyone wants to understand what the sentences are in English, you can copy and paste it on Google Translate. Of course, you could always leave it as a mystery, but that's up to you. With that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy chapter 10 of Death's Blossom_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

 _This is where it all started._

I looked over at Amelie, who stared emotionlessly at the old, worn-down building in front of them. It'd been several operations since I'd first joined Talon, and we've been assigned to work together for a majority of them.

I never learned to really trust her, but it became easier every mission. I had to constantly remind myself who she was before I became too comfortable. Though, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. She definitely carried her own weight, and even managed to save my ass a couple of times when things got rough. Though, I'd never admitted it, not that she'd care much if I did.

Silence filled the air as I briefly let my mind wander to past memories. _Switzerland. It's been a while._

"What are we doing here?"

She didn't even flinch as she said, "Classified information from Talon has leaked out from a Talon operative." She looks at me from the corner of her eye, "He has been dealt with appropriately. However, it seems that the operative has released the information in this town, particularly this building."

I forcefully nodded my head, "So we have to eliminate the source of the information before anything else leaks out."

She nods in agreement, "Yes."

My heart sank as I realized what I would have to do. I began to walk up the stairs as my eyes fixed on a bronze sign above the door.

 _In Erinnerung an die Gnade des Engels._

It must have been made some time after Morrison and I'd recruited Angela from here. The metal had been dented and the edges had corroded over time. I saw Amelie's shadow as she walked up from behind me.

She began to reach for the door, but I cut her off by holding out my arm. Before she could say anything, I spoke first, "Wait here while I go ahead."

She seemed to narrow her brows, "What are you doing?"

"I-" I hesitated before quickly recovering, "I've been here before. There's not enough room for you to work effectively. It'd be more _efficient_ if you positioned yourself from a distance." I gestured to the several windows coating the building, "There's plenty of vision, even from outside. I'll leave it to you to watch my back in case something goes wrong."

For the slightest moment, I could have sworn I saw something click in her mind. She stared at me for a couple of seconds before sharply turning and walk away.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I will be watching from the rooftops."

I watched as she quickly disappeared from sights. I sighed in relief before pushing the doors open. My memories mingled as I saw a familiar lobby. If the building was worn out before, now it felt like the walls could collapse at any minute. The spacious room seemed desolate, to the point that I created an echo with each step.

I stood still, waiting for any sign of life. After a minute of silence, I pulled out a shotgun from my holster and aimed at the roof. I gave it two more seconds before letting a shot ring out.

Not a second after, I heard metal clatter in some room upstairs. I took my time as I made my way to the source of the noise.

As I travelled down the hall, I heard static in my ear as I heard Amelie's voice, " _I'm in position._ " I responded, "Understood. Make sure to give me a heads up in case you see anyone approach the building from the outside."

There was silence before I heard her speak again, " _Understood._ " With that out of my mind, I focused on the task at hand.

I found myself in front of an open door, light shining through the windows, illuminating a single man that seemed to be waiting for me. Next to him was a bag of medical supplies, scattered across the floor.

He looked decently muscular, hardly strong enough to win a fight if it came down to it. He wore a lab coat, so I assumed that he was a doctor. The young man was frozen, but I could see that he had a determined look in his eyes.

 _What an idiot._

I took a step forward and the man stepped away, further backing himself into the windows. He called, "I know who you are. I saw you when you were outside with that woman."

 _What? How does he know who I am?_

 _Don't be stupid, he's bluffing. He's trying to make you uneasy so he can escape._

I slowly raised my hand up and deactivated my comm. He looked confused, but he held firm in his stance. I lowered my arm and stood neutrally. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need some information."

 _What are you doing? Stop wasting time. Just kill him._

 _Shut up! He's a doctor. He's been helping those people. He's given them hope, when they've had none._

 _And who does that remind you of?_

…

"Am I supposed to just believe that? We know about Talon, and we knew what they'd do to us if we stayed here. That's why we packed up everything and escorted everyone away."

 _That bastard just made our job a lot harder._

I ignored the voice, "Everyone, but you?"

He lowered his eyes, "Yes. Everyone, but me."

I sighed, before walking closer to him.

"You said that you knew who I was. How could you tell with the mask on?"

He gave a bitter chuckle, "I could never forget you. The moment I first saw you, I knew you were a bad person," He glared at me "And I was right. You took our angel, our hope, away."

"Look, kid. Relax-"

" _You're not gonna bite me._ "

I froze as his words triggered another memory. _He shook as if he was looking at the devil._ I stared at him as he gave me a sad smile.

"Right?"

Silence filled the air as I internally scrambled for something to say. I spoke softly, as if I was talking to a child, "Alright, look. I can get you out of here. But I need you to trust me."

He scoffed, "And why would I trust you?"

" _Because I'm the only way you're getting out of here alive._ "

 _That shut him up._ I looked him in the eyes through the mask, "You can run away, and continue helping those people. But first, you need to step away from the windows."

He stood firm and continued to glare at me, "Why? What's wrong with the windows?"

I scowled, "There's nothing wrong with the windows, you idiot. The problem is the-"

A red dot appeared on the side of his head. _Widowmaker._ I held my breath as his face began to show confusion. "What? _What's the problem?_ " I could see him slowly getting more frustrated.

 _You have to kill him._

 _I can get him out of here._

 _You have to kill him, or you're gonna lose Widowmaker's trust._

 _Who gives a shit about her trust?_

 _You give a shit! If she finds out that you're weak, she'll report it to Talon. And if Talon finds out, you'll be "taken care of". You have to kill him._

 _I-I can save him._

 _Oh, shut up. When are you going to realize that you're past your little hero phase? You've assassinated countless people, without even flinching. Face it, you're a monster, and that's all you can ever be. Now shut up, and kill him._

I closed my eyes and whispered, "What's your name, kid?"

He paused. He opened his mouth to speak, but when I'd opened my eyes, his lips were pressed tightly together.

I nodded and gave a smile I knew he couldn't see. "I understand."

And in one swift movement, I raised my shotgun at his head and pulled the trigger.

As his body hit the floor, I heard a scream from behind me. My head shot around and I saw a young girl, her face frozen in horror, as she scrambled to run away. I instinctually chased after her.

 _What are you doing?_

I sprinted down the hall, and cornered her in a dead end. I breathed heavily and I slowly walked towards her. She crawled further and further into the wall, her skin pale and her chest heaving as she coughed.

 _What am I doing?_

Tossing my shotgun to the side, I felt my body automatically move as my shadow covered her body. She shut her eyes and began to whisper some sort of mantra.

" _Ich bete zu Gott. Rette mich. Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen._ "

I saw my arms reached out, my fingers wrapping around her neck. I didn't even notice her tears, wetting my hand as I tightened my grip.

 _I'm doing my job._

My vision blurred as her words filled my mind. Even as her voice came to a forced halt, I still heard her voice.

 _Ich bete zu Gott. Rette mich. Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen._

 _Rette mich. Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen._

 _Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen._

 _Der Reaper ist gekommen._

I was forced back to reality as the body in my arm became limp. I blinked, looking at the pale face of this once-lively little girl. Her eyes were wide open in shock and her mouth was still open, as she seemed to still gasp for a breath that she couldn't breath.

Her corpse dropped to the floor as I released my hold on her neck. She had clear handprint marks left on the skin. I stared emotionlessly at the body, lying sprawled across the floor.

My mind was blank as I turned around and walked out of the building. When I'd pushed through the front doors, Widowmaker was waiting for me.

"Why didn't you respond to your comm?" She said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"It was broken." I said as I pulled the comm out of my ear, and tossed it to the ground.

"That is not likely. The doctor-"

I cut her off by crushing the device against my foot, and brushing past her, heading towards the Talon aircraft that was waiting for us a few blocks away.

* * *

Once we'd arrived back at the Talon headquarters, I left the debriefing to Widowmaker and made a beeline straight the the showers.

I'd planned to spend a couple of minutes there, but I'd ended up spending an hour, just soaking up the heat. I should've enjoyed the feeling, but it was like my entire body was numb.

Once I'd finished, I quickly dried off and pulled on my pants. Walking up to a mirror, I was about to put on my shirt when I'd caught a glimpse of my body.

It was almost exactly how it was before the incident, excusing a few cut scars every now and then. I'd managed to stay in shape due to the rigorous training that Talon and Widowmaker had put me through. My skin was also noticeably paler. _Pale._

I let my arms hang by my sides as I clenched my fists. Her words echoed through my mind and I didn't even think about what she was saying.

 _Der Reaper ist gekommen._

 _You're a monster._

 _Reaper_

 _Monster._

 _You've killed countless people._

 _Reaper._

 _You're past your little hero phase._

 _Reaper._

" _Reyes._ "

I flinched as I turned to face Widowmaker, who seemed to be staring at me. Her head slightly bent to the side, "Who is Reaper?"

My throat was dry as I asked, " _What?_ "

She took a step towards and looked me in the eyes. "You were muttering something. I was able to pick out the word, _reaper_. Does that word mean something to you?"

I must have been unconsciously thinking out loud. I was a bit unnerved by the fact that she actually seemed _concerned_ about me, but I brushed it off as a general question. I faced the mirror again and I saw a different reflection looking back at me.

"Yes. Yes, it does mean something to me."

I stared at my reflection as the little girl, her face twisted in pain and horror, stared back at me. As I opened my mouth, she mimicked the action.

" _The Reaper has come._ "

Widowmaker had a moment of confusion come across her face, but I didn't pay it any attention.

My eyes were fixed on the girl who seemed to hate me with her entire being.

" _I'm_ the Reaper."

Silence filled the air as the two of us stood, side by side. For once, I understood what went through Widowmaker's mind when she wouldn't say anything.

I stared blankly at the girl's eyes as I started to uncontrollably mutter, until I slowly came to a realization.

 _Reaper_.

 _Reaper_.

...

" _I'm Reaper_."


	11. My Turn

_Hey guys, sorry that these chapters are taking so long to come out. Truth be told, I think I'm having a lot less inspiration to go on than when I started. I'm thinking about taking a week off as a break and letting the ideas come back to me. If that doesn't work, I'll just get back to pushing these out. Oh, and sorry if these seem like they're kind of jumping around everywhere, but that's just because I want to really focus on the important parts in the Overwatch timeline. And if you hadn't already noticed by now, I make tons of references to the Overwatch game, whether that's quotes, events, or character relationships as a whole. So if you think that something seems out of place or even if you don't, you should go check out the character interactions and quotes! That out of the way, enjoy chapter 11 of Death's Blossom!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

I gasped for breath, my face drenched in water.

Breathing out heavily, I paused to recollect myself. Water dripped from my chin and trailed down my forehead as I wiped the water out of my eyes.

I reached out to a pile of neatly folded towels and pulled one out. I quickly dried my face off before moving my attention to my hands. As I finished up, I tossed the towel to the side and rested my hands on the sides of the porcelain sink.

I stared at my reflection, as I did just about any time that I looked into a mirror. At this point, I'd grown used to seeing the scars. It became normal to me. I could barely even remember what I'd looked like before.

I scowled before grabbing my mask and fixing it into position, once again shrouding my scars. Letting out a sigh, I walked out of the restroom, my boots further dirtying the marble tiles.

I rolled my shoulders as I made my way to the end of the room, stepping over a fallen glass cabinet. Several files and folders were scattered across the floor. I leaned down and lifted up the body of a man wearing a clean suit, dragging it through the mess of a room and shoved his corpse onto the leather chair behind his desk.

I sighed as I noticed a fallen picture frame. I picked it up and placed it neatly on the desk, away from the bloodstains to keep it clean. It was a picture of the man with his daughter and wife.

 _Cute. Must have been a family man._

I pat the man's shoulder as I pulled out my holopad and opened a message that I'd received from Sombra.

" **Reaper, have you completed your objective?"**

I cleared my throat before speaking into the holopad, "Yeah, the target's dead. Helix is gonna have to make do without their lieutenant. What's with the name?"

" **Reaper? I heard about your freak out, and I thought it was time that you were given an alias."**

My brow twitched. _Of course she heard, she hears everything._

" **Besides, it's better if we eliminate any traces of your name. As far as the world knows, Gabriel Reyes is dead. It wouldn't do well for them to find out otherwise."**

I nodded, "Fine. We'll do that then."

 _For someone who knows so much, it's laughable how little she knows._

I pushed open a window and admired the view. I was standing on the edge of the highest floor of a skyscraper that overlooked an entire city. I took a deep breath before leaping over the edge.

My mind instinctively referred to my training as clouds of darkness began to surround my body, my physicality quickly dissipating into a smoke-like form. My vision enhanced as my body became weightless as I'd essentially become a shadow.

With danger out of the way, I focused my attention on landing some place out of sight. Immediately, I noticed a dark alleyway with nothing but trash. I angled my body to fall in that direction, straightening my back to accelerate myself.

As I grew closer and closer, I flipped myself into landing position. And just as I made impact with the ground, I released my wraith form, the force knocking everything around me back. As the shadows faded, I groaned and straightened my posture.

Then, I heard something metal drop behind me. I immediately pulled out a shotgun and aimed it in the direction of the noise.

An old homeless man stood, shaking with terror, his eyes wide, and hands up in surrender. He had dropped a can of money and it's content had spilled out across the floor.

I sighed and let my arm fall to my side. The man fell back and scrambled away, shouting " _Demon! It's a demon!_ "

 _Nobody's going to believe him. But I should still get out of here before someone gives him the benefit of the doubt._

I pulled out my holopad again and said, "Sombra, I'm gonna need a pickup."

" **Already have one standing by."**

I nodded as a Talon aircraft appeared from the corner of my eye. I made my mark on the plane and closed my eyes, letting out a breath.

When I'd opened them again, I was standing inside the boy of the aircraft. Looking down, I saw a circle of shadows dissipate where I'd once been. It took a while for me to perfect this technique, and even then, I could still work on it.

I'd finished giving my report to Sombra and made my way over to the training room. After entering my pin into the number pad, the door opened and I expected to see Widowmaker working on her shot. But she wasn't there.

 _Oh yeah. She's off on a mission in Giza._

"Sombra, what's the status on Widowmaker?" I called out as I approached one of the several computer screens.

" **Agent Widowmaker has recently arrived from her mission in Egypt. She is making a path in the training room's direction. Her heart rate appears to be unnaturally high, or I suppose I should say unnaturally normal."**

 _Her heart rate?_ I thought as I began to pull off my trenchcoat, leaving my mask on. I took off all of the heavy parts of the outfit, leaving just the skintight armor, my pants, and my shoes remaining. I walked over to the nearest chair and let myself fall on top of it. _That's definitely not something you hear a lot of when you're talking about Widowmaker._

As I sat, waiting for Widowmaker to eventually arrive, I stretched out. I groaned as I looked back on my assassination. It definitely wasn't clean, but I got the job done and that's all that really matters.

 _Damn, did he put up a good fight though. Guess I should've expected it from a member of Helix._

I went into the mission thinking that it would be a simple operation, so I came with minimal resources and left the other Talon agents behind. As I snuck into the skyscraper in wraith form, I found my way to where the lieutenant had locked himself away.

I'd entered the room through the vents and hid myself in the corner. The man was staring out of the window, so I thought I'd make it easy for myself and just push him over the edge. But the moment I dropped my wraith form, he noticed my presence and ran to his desk. I knew I couldn't risk the sound that a gunshot would make, so I swiftly grabbed his wrist and threw a punch aimed at his jaw.

The force knocked him back into the wall, but he caught himself and began to fight back. We thrashed around the room, knocking over several things in the process, leaving the room as a mess. Eventually, I got the upper hand and managed to knock him out. After that, I just finished the job by-

My thoughts were cut off as the doors slid open. Widowmaker walked in, with her visor in her hands. It looked like the entire face side of it was blown off. She made her way to table and forcefully set the visor down.

I stood up and walked over to her, stopping behind her. "Everything alright?"

She turned around and I flinched. She was _smiling._ _She never smiles._ She responded, "Yes, everything is perfect."

"Ah…" I said awkwardly. "So, the mission went well?" Her smile remained plastered to her face as she turned back around. "Yes, I even took out a pest in the process."

 _A pest?_ "Is that what happened to your visor?"

She nodded, "Yes, but eliminating a potential rival is worth losing a mere object."

The room went silent. _I've never seen Widowmaker without her visor. With her smile, she actually looks… human._ I froze as the thought passed through my mind. I coughed, "Right. So, who was this _pest?_ "

"Ana Amari."

 _Ana?_ "You… _killed_ Ana?"

Her smile noticeably faltered, "I did. Is there a problem?"

I forced a smile, "No, of course not. I just…" I paused. "I'm just impressed is all." _There's no way a soldier like Ana would be taken out by Widowmaker._

She turned so her back was facing me. "Now, the world will know who the best sniper is."

I scoffed, "I never took you for the prideful type."

She chuckled in response, " _Please._ " She faced me, leaning back against the table. "My pride is the reason why I never miss a shot."

"I'm learning more and more about you every day." I said, sporting a smile of my own.

She raised a brow, "You should be careful. It might be dangerous not be the best idea to get to know someone called _Widowmaker._ "

"I'm a veteran soldier who's working for Talon. Life doesn't get more dangerous than that." I joked.

She let out a laugh, "Perhaps you are right. It certainly isn't one of the more simple jobs."

 _She laughed? This must be a trick or something._ "So, you killed one of the greats in Overwatch. Congratulations."

She seemed to sober up, "I could have killed more if she wasn't in the way."

"What do you mean?" I asked I started to go back to my chair.

"Amari was there with an Overwatch team." I froze.

I growled "Of course, they were there. As long as Overwatch is alive, they'll be following our every move."

She smirked, "I doubt you will have to worry about that for much longer."

I looked at her quizzingly, "What do you mean?"

She seemed surprised as she hesitated before saying, "You hadn't heard about Overwatch?"

I shook my head, gesturing for her to continue.

"When you stood up against Jack Morrison, the battle caused the Overwatch Headquarters to collapse. Everyone seemed to make it out unharmed. Well, except for you and Morrison."

"What happened to Morrison?"

"The public has determined that Jack Morrison died alongside you when the building fell apart."

 _Jack Morrison's dead?_ I smiled internally. _Good. I'm glad I took that son of a bitch down with me._

She continued, "And while the headquarters has fallen, Overwatch is still functioning. However, they seem to be losing more and more support as the world has begun to lose faith in their exploits."

"So what does this mean?"

"It means that the United Nations are considering passing an act to illegalize Overwatch activity, and with a helpful push from some outside benefactors, Overwatch will soon be shut down."

I scowled as I walked over to my holster and pull out a shotgun. "That just makes things harder for me."

She leaned her head to the side, "How so?"

I laughed bitterly, "I want to take Overwatch down _personally,_ and if they're all scattered about, I'll have to chase them down."

She seemed to stare at me, "I see." She was silent for a minute before taking a breath, "Then I will assist in your mission."

I furrowed my brows, "Assist? _Why?_ "

She shrugged emotionlessly, "It wouldn't do well for a Talon operative to be seen attempting to assassinate Overwatch agents. It'll be up to me to make sure your pursuit remains hidden."

I smiled under my mask, "Alright, I can work with that. As long as you don't get in my way, I think I could tolerate your company."

With that, she picked up her rifle and went to practice her shot. As she walked away, I realized just how different she looked without that visor on her head. Her clean light blue skin and her dark purple, tied into long ponytail, and her outfit that seemed to cling tightly to her body, defining every feature about her.

 _I guess it won't be too bad having her there to watch my back. It'd definitely make my job a whole lot easier._

 _Are you seriously going to trust her? You've seen what she does. She lures you into trusting her, and then she stabs you in the back. Have you already forgotten Gerard?_

 _Oh shut up, you've had your time to talk. Besides, Gerard was an idiot who couldn't tell when his wife was lying to him. If she tries that on me, I'll know. So, why don't you let me handle this, while you sit back and watch how a real soldier does things._

…

 _It's about damn time._


	12. The Finest Kill

_Hey guys, I know it's been a while. Thanks so much for being so patient as worked on this chapter. I spent a lot of time brainstorming and came to a realization. I haven't thought of an end for this story, which is totally unnatural for me. Usually, I love to plan out the endings to my stories and it sort of makes me rush the story. But as I thought about it, I realized that I had no clue about how I wanted this story to end, whenever it would end. Truth be told, I plan to keep this story going for a while. So, you don't have to worry about me quitting on this story. Trust me, I still have a lot more ideas to come. Enough said, I hope you all enjoy chapter 12 of Death's Blossom!_

 _~Atlas_

* * *

"You know, this isn't really my type of job."

I snapped the neck of another one of Mondatta's bodyguards and let his body drop to the ground. "Yeah, stealth isn't something that I really specialize in." I yawned before looking back at my holopad.

" **What do you mean? You're an assassin, of course stealth is your specialty."**

I scoffed as I searched through the guard's pockets, "I use two shotguns. I may be an assassin, but I usually leave the quiet parts to Widowmaker."

" **Well, Widowmaker is busy right now. She seems to have encountered a disturbance."**

I raised a brow. " _A disturbance?_ " I asked as I pulled out the card to the security room.

" **Yes, Previous Overwatch agent, Lena Oxton, AKA Tracer, seems to have engaged in combat against Widowmaker."**

I nodded in agreement as I walked over a backdoor of the watch tower. I slid the entry card into the door lock, granting me access to the building. "I wouldn't worry about Widowmaker. She knows how to handle herself."

" **I know that. You forget that I've worked with her longer than you have, Reaper."**

"Then you know someone like Lena shouldn't be a problem for her." The light on the lock turned on as the door opened. Inside, two guards noticed my entrance and scrambled to grab their rifles.

I quickly pulled out my twin shotguns and let out two rounds into each guard. Their bodies were knocked back from the impact and both hit the floor hard.

As I heard footsteps, I closed the distance between me and the corner of the hallway, keeping myself close to the wall. The moment I saw the black and white suit of one of the guards, I fired shot after shot at the group of security.

Blood splattered across the walls and the floors as I ran out of ammo. I tossed my guns to the side and pulled out two more shotguns, resuming my attack until nobody was left.

I made my way to the top of the watch tower and killed everyone who was left. It was easy with the infinite ammunition and the removal of the unnecessary reloading time. They didn't stand a chance.

Once I'd cleared the building, I stuck one of Talon's hacking devices onto the head computer. When it finished, I would have all known locations of the Overwatch agents lying in the UK. After Overwatch had officially disbanded, Overwatch operatives had scattered all over the world. It'd been a pain in my ass to find them, but this would make it easier.

I left it to work it's magic as I checked out the security footage. I flipped through cameras until I caught sight of Widowmaker sprinting across the rooftops. She seemed to dance around the security guards, taking them down as she baited Lena into her trap.

I chuckled as the hacking was completed. I pulled the device out and put it away before rushing out to the talon aircraft waiting for me outside. I jumped on and sat down as the aircraft lifted off the ground and flew to Widowmaker's location.

When we arrived, Lena had tackled Widowmaker to the ground. Lena's head turned around when we flew into sight. Widowmaker took advantage of this opportunity and threw both of their bodies off the edge of the rooftop.

It was then that I noticed that the wires of a grapple was attached to the bricks of another rooftop wall. I smirked as Widowmaker jumped back up and began to walk our way. I motioned for the pilot to open the bay, letting Widowmaker in.

The bay slowly came to a close, but she stayed standing, staring out at the rooftops with a light smile tugging on her lips. She stayed that way seconds after the view was cut off, before turning around and sitting across from me.

"You seem pleased with yourself." I joked, leaning back into the seat.

She seemed to stare off into the distance, her smile frozen on her face. "Yes. It was one of my finest kills." Her focus was broken as she looked down at her holopad. Her smile seemed to fade as she read what was on it.

I raised a brow, "A message from Sombra?" She nodded in silence, her eyes darting across the message. After a while, she noticed me staring and turned her holopad around, showing me.

" **You should have killed her. We altered you precisely so something like this wouldn't happen. Clearly, your emotions are still prevalent. The board will not be pleased."**

I grunted before grabbing the holopad and speaking out, "I wouldn't worry about it, Sombra. She got the job done. Tekhartha Mondatta is dead, and the tensions between the Omnics and humans will heighten. If anything, I'd say Widowmaker repressed her emotions impressively well, even with the conditions she was in."

There was silence before another message appeared.

" **Very well. But I would advise you, Reaper, to refrain from looking into conversations that are none of your concern."**

I scoffed, "What do you mean? _I'm an assassin_ , of course I'm going to look into a conversation that's none of my concern." I handed the Widowmaker's holopad back to her, before realizing that her eyes were locked onto mine.

Moments later, she finally spoke up, "You didn't have to that." I raised a brow, "How about a _thank you_. I just saved your ass from becoming more emotionless. You don't think that deserves a little gratitude."

Her eyes shifted from me to some spot on the wall. When her focus finally became fixed on the spot, she stiffened and said, "Thank you."

 _So there is a human under that heartless facade._ I smiled and leaned back, resting my head and closing my eyes. "Anytime. You got my back, I've got yours."

We both became silent once again before I asked a question that had been on my mind since the start of the mission. "Did you know Lena before you were _captured._ She seemed to be close to you when I'd last talked to her."

She hesitated before letting out a sigh, "She was a sweet little girl. I met her through Gerard one day, and she refused to leave me alone. I suppose a part of me wanted her to stay. Her company was infuriating, yet it was comforting."

I leaned in, digging deeper, "So she was a friend?"

She looked confused before straightening her back and giving me a glare, "And why does that matter to you? As you said, I finished the job. No past relations will ever stop from doing that."

My eyes became fixed on the ground, "So why didn't you kill her?"

I heard another pause before she softly said, "I… don't know. Because…" She spoke louder, "It was for the thrill of the kill."

I looked up and saw that her eyes were hardened. She spoke in the emotionless voice that I had grown accustomed to, "The moment before I kill my target, that is when I feel most _alive_. She is the only one to give me a decent challenge. I merely let her live for now, so I might feel the thrill once again."

I stared at her through my mask, "So that's all, huh?"

She leaned against her seat and crossed her legs, "Yes. That is all."

I nodded, closing my eyes. Silence filled the air before I realized something that she said. "Wait a minute, _she's_ the only one to give you a _decent challenge?_ "

She raised a brow, amused, "Well, yes. You don't seriously believe that you could present a challenge for me?"

I scowled, "What the hell? I'd totally put up a fight. I'd unload both my shotguns on you before you could even pull the trigger."

She smirked, "What? With your cute shadow trick? I doubt it."

"Oh please, you know even without-" I was cut off by a notification from my holopad. I shot Widowmaker a glare, "This isn't over." Before opening the message.

" **Reaper, you have a job in Giza, near the temple of Anubis. Helix seems to be escorting an important package. We want to know what it is that they are protecting. You will be sent in with a squad of soldiers and a group of hackers to uncover their secrets."**

I scoffed, "This job sounds pointless. You could just let the squad go alone, and it would end exactly the same."

" **It would be pointless, but I assumed that you might want to mark off another target on your hitlist."**

My brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

" **We suspect that Ana Amari will be in the area during the time that your team will arrive. She has been hindering our progress, and we wish to eliminate her from the equation."**

I caught my breath, "I see. I thought she was dead."

" **Agent Widowmaker failed. We have decided to leave this task to you in order to ensure maximum efficiency."**

I nodded, knowing that Sombra wouldn't see, before looking up at the woman sitting across from me. She was looking at me, curiously.

" I understand. I'll take charge of this operation. Give me a list of the names of the soldiers in the squad I'll be leading, and give me a date and time for the mission. I'll be ready whenever we're good to go."

" **Understood. It is pleasing to see your cooperation for this mission."**

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me when and we'll be good."

" **Understood."**

I chuckle, looking over at Widowmaker. She was still staring at me. She cocked her head to the side, "A new mission?"

I shrugged, "Yeah. Seems simple enough. Just gotta babysit a couple of hackers to Giza."

She gave a slight nod, "I see. Then I assume my assistance won't be needed?"

I crossed my arms, leaning back once again, "Yeah, I should be fine on my own for this one."

"I see. Perhaps now, I will finally be able to complete training without interruption."

I nodded silently, "Right."

After a brief, awkward moment, she spoke up, "Did you fail to kill a target?"

I gave a confused look, " _What?_ "

"You said that you thought _she_ was dead. I assumed that you merely failed to finish a job, and the board had found out."

"Ah." _Then, she doesn't know about Ana. Probably better that it stays that way._ I let out a sigh and began to speak before cutting myself off.

 _But do I really want to tell her that I didn't finish a job? She might start to question my abilities, and lose her trust in me._ I furrowed my brows underneath the mask.

 _Better me than her. She's probably trained all her life to be the perfect assassin. Telling her that she failed could cause some problems._

All these thoughts ran through my mind in only a few seconds. I debated if I should speak the truth, or keep it hidden from her. Before I could come to a decision, Widowmaker spoke again.

"I understand." She said, while nodding, "It must be difficult knowing that you were unable to finish the job." But she gave me probably the most and the only comforting look she would ever give me. "But don't worry, you must learn from this mistake. I believe there is a saying, _what doesn't kill you makes you-_ "

" _Stronger._ " I said, interrupting. It looks like she misunderstood the situation. _Makes this easier for me._ I let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks. That helped." I gave a smile, before realizing that she wouldn't be able to see it underneath the mask. "I appreciate it."

She gave another comforting smile. _Damn, two in one day. Must be a special occasion._ She looked away and seemed to space out for the rest of the ride.

I closed my eyes and began to drift away as sleep took hold.

…

 _Banging. There were noises of fists pounding on metal. The noise echoed throughout the dark, chamber-like hallway. The walls were all metal, clearly rusted and aged._

 _Screams. An endless number of voices seemed to scream, groan, and cough as I walked through the corridor._

 _Faces. As I walked down the hallway, I began to hear some familiar voices. I looked at the direction of the voices and saw Jack Morrison's face, melded into the metal. I then realized that the walls and the ceilings were covered entirely with faces, most unfamiliar. As I walked on, I noticed Amelie's face, as well as many of the faces of the soldiers that I fought with, back when I was just a soldier in the military._

 _Reflection. At the very end of the corridor, I saw a cell. It had hard metal bars and it looked small enough to drive any man insane after just one day in it. Inside was a familiar looking man with a goatee, wearing a black beanie. He reached out and gripped the bars, his knuckles whitening. He scowled and began to shout, his voice echoing out._

" _You can't keep me in here forever. I'm going to get out of here, and you know it." The echoes bouncing off the walls, "What about Angela?"_

 _I froze and felt weight on my hands. I looked down and found my two shotguns in my grip. They seemed to pull themselves up as my arms rose to aim at the cell. The man stared into my eyes and refused to speak any further._

 _I set my jaws as I quickly pulled the trigger for both guns three times each. As each round passed through the bars and collided with the man's body, I watched as a dark material began to spread from the wounds. The longer I looked at it, I slowly began to realize that it was the rusted metal that made up the walls._

 _His glare did not waver as he slowly straightened his back and waited as the metal corrupted the entirety of his body. I watched emotionlessly as the metal covered his face, until it slowly coated his eyes, making him just another face added into wall._

My body shook awake as the aircraft came to a stop. It wasn't until I realized that Widowmaker was staring at me that I realized that I was breathing heavily.

I coughed and leaned back into my seat. That seemed to be enough as Widowmaker relaxed and looked away. The bay opened and she went ahead and left first. After a moment, I pulled myself together and forced myself up. As I walked out of the aircraft, I repeated to myself that this was what I wanted.

An organization that knew how to use me to the fullest. That made the most out of my talents. One that wasn't afraid to let their soldiers get a little blood on their hands.

A partner who always had my back, without the drama of competition. The technology to make my results even better. Someone who could give me any information I wanted at any time. This was what I wanted. This is _everything_ I've wanted.

But in the back of my mind lingered a question that I couldn't help but wonder about.

 _What about Angela?_


	13. Not the Only Ghost

I tossed my shotguns to the side and collapsed onto a chair. I pulled out and checked my holopad _again_. Still nothing from Sombra. I sighed in disappointment and looked back up at the squad of soldiers and hackers around me. There were a few soldiers waiting outside, keeping watch.

When we had first landed in Egypt, Sombra was scanning the area for signs of Ana's location. We were discussing the trap for Ana when our connection was severed and the contact was cut off. I'd been waiting for Sombra to figure something out and re-establish contact, but it'd been a few hours since we arrived and there's been no change.

I heard some of the hackers arguing with each other and decided to do something. I set the holopad on a table next to me and walked over. "What's the problem?"

The dispute broke up immediately as the group stood at attention. Nobody said anything until one spoke up, "It's nothing major, sir. We're merely experiencing a slight difficulty."

I scowled and folded my arms, "What _difficulty?_ "

The man's eyes shifted nervously, "I'm afraid Helix has managed to create a counter-measure to repel our efforts. We've managed to decrypt the firewall, but the translation doesn't seem to be helping much."

 _So much for an simple job._ "Fine, then copy the data to the drive and we'll have it delivered to Sombra to analyze."

The group of hackers nodded and quickly began to transfer the data. The one from earlier approached me, "I apologize. I'm sure with more time and resources, we could have come to a solution-"

This guy was starting to annoy me, so I cut him off, "No excuses. For your sake, hope Sombra can get something useful out of this."

I walked back to my holopad and noticed a notification. I absentmindedly spoke as I opened the message, "Helix will have a weakness. They don't know what they're protecting."

" **Finally. It's about time I got this to work."**

 _Sombra. Good to know that she's fine._ "Any progress on our ghost?"

" **What? Not even going to say hello? How rude."**

I stayed silent, waiting for a response.

" **For your information, I have found a ghost. Not the one we were looking for though. He's waiting outside. As for Ana, I haven't been able to pinpoint her exact location, but I know she's here."**

I set the holopad down and began to walk outside, "Well... keep at it. Once you set a trap, you never know what will fall into it." I walked around the corner and heard a series of gunshots, before they were abruptly cut short.

As I stayed hidden from sight, I watched as a man with white hair walked towards one of my soldiers, who had fallen back onto the floor. He activated a visor that covered his face as he asked, " _Where is he?_ "

 _A ghost._ To anyone else, he might have been unrecognizable, but I knew who he was just from the way he walked. That confident walk that seemed to head straight for his objective, and the weapon he held, matched what I remembered from Jack Morrison.

I began to shadowstep behind him as he started look around, presumably for me. _I could be wrong, but if I am, that's just one less wannabe hero._ My body materialized behind him and I let a shot ring out into his back. "Right here, _Jack._ "

The shot wouldn't kill him, but it would definitely hurt enough to keep him down. I slowly walked towards his trembling body, taking in the moment. "Always rushing in. I know your every move before you even think it." My mind wandered back to my days in Overwatch. From the days that we were partners, "Always have." to the day that he abandoned me to die in a crumbling building, "Always will."

He didn't say anything. I began to grow impatient, so I spoke again, "I've been looking for you since Switzerland. Knew it'd take more than that to kill you." I raised my shotgun and aimed it at his head, "Now this here you are." I savored the moment and took my time pulling the trigger.

 _Why isn't he doing anything?_ He was just laying there on the floor. _Useless and pathetic._ I scowled and decided against any irrational decisions and spat out before firing, "This is how it should have been."

Before I could move a muscle, I felt a sharp pain as a bullet pierced my shoulder. I growled as I stumbled forward. I saw another bullet fly past my head and into Jack's arm. _Someone trying to kill us both?_ But I was wrong. I watched as Jack flexed his arm and realized that the shot had healed his wounds. My head spun around as I heard a female voice shout out,

" _Get in there, Jack!_ "

Before I could react, my body recoiled back as Jack tackled me to the ground. I groaned, but he followed up with a couple of punches straight to my skull. I lifted a leg and stuck it against his chest and kicked him off.

I rose up, but I didn't have any time to breath as Jack rushed back into combat. He threw another punch in my direction, but I was able to react quickly enough this time to block it with my forearm. I ducked as he tried another punch and managed to land a blow of my own.

We traded strikes until I heard another shot ring out. I was anticipating more assistance from the hidden assailant, so I'd managed to spin around in time and block the bullet with my gauntlet. My last punch had knocked the wind out of Morrison, so I had time to take out my assailant.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I sprinted in the direction of the shot. Training with Widowmaker for so long, it became instinctual to quickly find the hiding spot of a sniper in combat. I immediately isolated a figure hiding in the higher level of the building my squad was stationed in.

As I dashed forward, I shadow stepped behind the sniper and began to pull out new shotguns, but I hesitated. _This is someone with precision. Aiming for a shot in the back like I did with Jack won't work. They'll most likely notice where I am, and follow up with a shot of their own. But, I'll be expecting it._

As I predicted, the assailant spun around and with a pistol and attempted to shoot my neck. I reached up in time and snatched the bullet out of the air. It was a syringe of some sort. In retrospect, it's a pretty obvious bullet to see.

Whatever was inside must have been what helped Jack recover so quickly. I swiftly swung my arm around knocked Ana's gun away, leaving her defenseless. Well, as defenseless as one of the world's best snipers can be.

As I spoke, I decided to keep Sombra a mystery, in case anyone was listening in. " _Hakim's_ been trying to draw out who's been sabotaging our operations. I never expected that it'd be you… a real ghost." I said bitterly as we circled each other.

"Not to mention _him._ " I said, motioning my head to where Jack stood. I smirked under the mask, "I guess we old soldiers are hard to kill." The smirk faded as I felt a slight tinge of disappointment. "But I should have known, you always took _his_ side."

I threw a punch, but she quickly dropped down and swept a leg around, knocking me off my balance. The moment I was off center, her hand shot out and gripped around my neck, pushing the both of us off the edge of the building,

 _Shit! I should have seen that coming._

We tumbled around in the air, but she skillfully twisted her body around so I would ultimately land on the bottom. When we did collide with the ground, the air was knocked out of my lungs. I tried to push myself up, but pain shot through my entire body.

I watched as Ana reached down grabbed my mask. As she pulled my mask off, my face twisted in pain as the light hit my eyes. When I adjusted, she was reeling back in horror. She stammered out, " _What happened to you...?_ "

 _What happened to me?_ I felt anger surge through my mind. _I died and nobody knows why. There are statues of Jack Morrison and tales of how he fell fighting off Talon, but people don't even know what happened to me._

I stared up at Ana and decided that I wouldn't be able to kill her. She was always able to beat me combat. My best chance here would be to plant a seed in her mind that might make her turn against Jack later.

I grit my teeth, " _He_ did this to me, Ana. _They_ left me to become this _thing_."

A split moment of sympathy flashed across her face as her eyes momentarily softened. She spoke compassionately, "Gabriel…"

 _Gabriel is dead. He was left beneath the Overwatch headquarters._ I found a sliver of strength left in my body and pushed it to let me shift into my wraith form. As I did, Ana fell back and dropped my mask. "They left you to die. They left me to suffer." She stared wide-eyed as I dissipated.

"Never forget that." I said grimly as I dissipated into the air.

As much as I wanted to pick up the mask, I knew I wouldn't be able to. So, instead, I chose to retreat back to the pickup instead of waiting for the squad. _We got what we wanted. They'll have to get their own ride back._

I groaned as I fell back onto my seat. I reached over and lightly touched my ribs. I winced as my body shuddered in pain. I pulled out my holopad as I leaned back into my chair, "Sombra, I'm gonna need a new mask."

I sat alone for a moment of silence until a message finally appeared. **"A new mask? What happened?"** I scowled before growling, "Cut the bullshit, Sombra. I'm not in the mood for this right now."

" **I am genuine in my inquiry. Someone tampered with my connection in the area, including any cameras or footage observing your activities."**

I scoffed, "I find that very hard to believe."

" **And why is that?"**

"You're the best hacker in the business. It'd be impossible for someone to create a problem for you that you couldn't just program your way out of."

There was silence before another message appeared. **"I see. Well, unfortunately it is true. Now, from the tone of your voice, I assume that the mission was a failure?"**

My gaze dropped to the floor, "No, not entirely. Only for me."

" **Could you specify?"**

"We have information of Helix, but the team I had weren't able to decrypt it. We need you to do that, and then we'll be fine."

" **Ah, I see. Was that the only complication?"**

I let out a bitter laugh, "I wish. Turns out I got more than I bargained for."

" **How so?"**

"Well, we found our ghost. Ana Amari was there. But she wasn't alone. Jack Morrison was there too."

" **Jack Morrison? I believe he has been reported as KIA."**

"Did you really believe the reports? If I was able to get out alive, then Jack was almost guaranteed to survive too."

" **I see your point. Then, I shall request that your mask be remade with the same design."**

"Thanks, Sombra." I relaxed, but the frustration of a failed mission lingered.

 _This must be what drives Widowmaker. No wonder she pushes herself so hard._

My mind began to wander. _Morrison's alive. This is gonna cause problems. As long as he's around, Overwatch isn't dead, and my job just became a lot harder._

"Sombra, can you keep a lookout for any signs of Overwatch activity?"

" **Of course. I'll give you a notice the moment I find one."**

"Thanks. Another thing, hold off any missions for me that don't have anything to do with Overwatch."

" **That's quite a few missions. This could present problems."**

"Overwatch could present problems. I'm not going to waste my time doing pointless work when I could be doing my job. You asked me to join you _so_ I could hunt them down, and I'm going to do just that."

" **I see. The board won't be pleased, but I will follow through with your request."**

I nodded, closing my eyes to sleep. However, I was interrupted by another notification.

" **Why is it that you seem so obsessed with 'getting the job done'?"**

I furrowed my brows, "Are you supposed to be asking questions like that? I thought Talon wanted their soldiers ready to kill by any means necessary?"

" **We do, but that doesn't stop me from being curious."**

I chuckled, _It's like talking to a child._ I sobered up immediately, "I guess it's because…" I hesitated, "It's because I refuse to let the people I care about be hurt. Or at least it used to be. I've been betrayed and hated by enough people to know that caring only gets you killed."

" **Yes, I suppose you would be an expert in that department, wouldn't you?"**

"Shut it with the sarcasm. You remind me-" I paused as I sunk into my seat. "You remind me of a student I used to have."

" **I actually find it insulting that you would compare me to a student of yours."**

I rolled my eyes, "Oh shut up." I snapped before settling down again. "But you're right." I said, narrowing my eyes, "He just ended up being a waste of time."

" **Really? I find that Jesse McCree is a remarkable marksman."**

I shook my head in disapproval, "He was a good shot, but that means nothing. He has no discipline. As long as he engages combat with his usual mindset, he'll never be anything more than mediocre."

" **That's a shame. We hear that he is working as a gun-for-hire now, and we were hoping to hire him for his services."**

I scoffed, "Even if you did manage to get him to agree, he's not loyal enough to trust Talon intel to."

" **I suppose. I hope you don't mind my asking, but if you aren't going to take missions other than those related to Overwatch, what will you be doing in between operations?"**

My eyes grew heavy as I rested my head against my seat.

"I'll train."

I tossed my holopad off to the side and let my body grow limp in the cushions as my vision faded to darkness.


	14. Failure

Time passed as I continued to refine my skills. Every moment was spent either training with Widowmaker or hunting down Overwatch Agents. Luckily, I'd managed to do so without attracting any attention. Well, not to me anyways.

According to Sombra, people have begun investigating into the assassinations. It's doubtful that they'll find anything, but it shows that my work wasn't flawless. The targets getting progressively easier to kill, which makes it progressively harder for the public to uncover the _mystery_ behind the assassinations.

At the moment, I stood on the roof of an apartment building. I analyzed the area and kept count of the guards surrounding the building, as well as the guards patrolling the inside of the building. Closing my eyes, I let my mind become blank and allowed my body to fall over the edge.

As I fell through the air, I reached into my holsters and created twin shotguns. Shaded figures in the distance grew closer and closer, as I allowed my form to dissipate into darkness. I collided into the ground, the impact shattering the shroud surrounding me, knocking the silhouettes back.

Shots rang out as bullets flew into the bodies of the figures around, leaving them all dead on the ground. I looked into the building complex and made my way inside, avoiding detection.

I held myself close to the walls and made sure to eliminate any targets that came around the corners. It only took a moment for me to hunt down the rest of the guards and clear out the building.

"Sombra, we're clear. I've taken out the last objective."

" **Understood. Ending simulation…"**

The environment faded away as I stood in a familiar room once again. I pulled off my hood and tossed my trench coat aside as I stepped over the destroyed remains of the training bots lying across the floor.

" **Your results are very impressive. You seem to be exceeding your previous records every day."**

"Good," I grunted as I fell back against a chair, "If I'm not getting better, then these training sessions are pointless."

" **So serious."** I raised a brow as I thought, _You're one to talk._ **"Anyways, I thought you might want to hear our most recent report."**

I crossed my arms, "A lead on Overwatch?"

" **Yes. More precisely, the location of a certain primate."**

My brows furrowed and I scowled under my mask, " _Winston._ "

" **Yes."**

I stood up and grabbed my tossed coat and slipped it back on. "Where's he been hiding at?"

" **Winston appears to have established a laboratory in an abandoned Overwatch outpost, Watchpoint: Gibraltar."**

I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders before heading to my Talon aircraft. **"Reaper, you just finished training. Wouldn't your talents be more effective after rest?"**

I ignored her question, "Sombra, get me a squad of soldiers. I'll have them keep the monkey busy while I hack into a computer and upload whatever information he has."

…

I stopped walking, "Sombra?"

" **I understand. I've ordered your squad of soldiers to standby with an aircraft."**

I nodded and began to walk off once again.

" **I notice that you're becoming quite less formal with me."**

I raised a brow, "Is that a problem?"

" **I would advise that you refrain from addressing me with such informality."**

"It wasn't a problem before. Why would it be one now?"

" **I am merely reminding you that you work for an organization that prioritizes efficiency. The board might perceive our interactions as a deficiency."**

I scoffed, "Since when have you ever doubted you efficiency? And besides, it's not like they can get rid of you. You're their biggest asset."

" **I'm not the one I'm worried about."**

I stopped in my tracks, "Oh, I see the problem." I shook my head and continued down my path, "You know, being worried doesn't suit you. You should keep working on your emotionless and sarcastic look."

" **I do not have a look. I am a computer screen."**

I laughed, " _There we go._ Now you're back to normal." I ended communication as I entered the flight bay. Immediately, I found a group of six Talon soldiers waiting next to a Talon ship. They wore basic military clothes, except the mask and helmet they normally wore had been painted to resemble a skull.

I approached them and folded my arms, "What's with the new design?"

The squad stiffened at once and all saluted. One stepped forward and explained that they were going to be working as my personal squad. As he spoke, I analyzed each of the soldiers. They were built well, but I would determine their worth through their skill in combat.

I looked back at their clothes. The red eyes complimented the skull well. _Maybe if I train them well enough, they won't be that bad to keep around._

I gave a nod before motioning for them to follow as I entered the aircraft.

I took lead as I walked through the halls of the abandoned outpost. The Talon soldiers cautiously followed behind, pointing their rifles in every possible direction. _They act like this is their first mission._

...

 _Sombra wouldn't do that to me._

…

 _Right?_

One of the soldiers seemed to trip over something. Two stooped down to help him up, while another one seemed to laugh his ass off.

 _That bitch._

The only good thing about this mission so far is that we didn't have to climb this big ass mountain to get here. I looked back down at the blueprint of the building and made my way to laboratory. I motioned for the squad to take point. They nodded and resumed their inconsistent aiming as they opened the door. I sighed and shook my head. _What I wouldn't give to have Widowmaker watching my back right now._ Relaxing for a moment, I looked about, _This place is pretty well lit for an abandoned building._

Then, the lights all shut down, leaving us in darkness. _So much for that._ Luckily, I was used to combat in the dark, so this didn't make much of a difference to me. _Must have been the monkey. I'll have to keep an eye out for him._ I decided to stay back and wait for Winston to take the bait.

Soon enough, a giant gorilla fell from above as the soldiers were distracted by a banana that had fallen as well. Winston landed on top of one soldier, knocking two to the side, before reaching out and grabbing the leg of another soldier and throwing him off to the side.

 _Stop standing there and shoot him, you idiots._

Winston grabbed the head of another moron and smashed his head into the floor. Finally, the remaining soldiers began to fire at the gorilla's massive form. It didn't do much as Winston reached out and grabbed a soldier and threw him into a table off to the side. Then, he proceeded to roll behind the last two soldiers and bashed their heads together.

 _Alright, times up. It's my turn now._

I switched to wraith form and passed through him and flew up to a higher level. Winston looked up in shock. He must've thought that I'd died too. _What an idiot._ Seeing his face, I couldn't help but laugh, my voice echoing under the mask.

Winston growled before leaping in my direction. It was then that the Talon soldiers finally regained focus and hit the gorilla with a taser each.

I watched as electricity coursed through the gorilla's body. His body collided with the ground, and he slowly stood as he howled in pain. _This is where you belong, monkey._ With that thought, I turned and started walking towards what seemed to be a computer room.

I quickly spotted the control panel and stuck Sombra's hacking device onto it. As the process started, a familiar mechanical voice spoke out from speakers around the room. **"Security Protocol Failing. Winston! Reaper is extracting the Overwatch Agents database!"**

I smirked, _Ah, so people do know about me._ "It's good to see you too, Athena. Unfortunately, I won't be staying long to chat."

I heard a roar in the distance. **"Extraction at…"** The moment was interrupted as one of the soldiers came crashing through the window and smashed into Winston's desk. **"...thirty-two percent."** I sighed, _What a team. Sombra's gonna hear about this._ I cracked my neck before wraith form walking down to the bottom level.

As Winston turned around, I saw his skin had turned red and lightning was sparking from his eyes. _It's about time that he showed that he's nothing but an animal._ I pulled out my twin shotguns and unloaded rounds into his large form.

His body shuddered with each shot until he crashed into the wall and fell face first into the floor, his appearance fading back into his original form.

I laughed, _Oh, this feels good._ I considered finishing the monkey off, but I decided to make him suffer a little. _He's the one who had the smart idea of moving me to Blackwatch. He's the one who turned Jack against me. Now, he's going to watch as I destroy the last reminder of his human life._

I noticed a large spherical apparatus hanging just above him. Staring the gorilla in the eyes, I raised a shotgun and shot the chain that was the sphere was hanging from. Time seemed to slow down as the giant ball landed directly onto the monkey's body.

As I walked towards him, Athena's voice rang out again, **"Winston? Winston, he's going to have all agents' locations."** _How annoying._ I thought as I tossed my shotguns aside. _Athena could learn something from Sombra. Learn how to shut up and let a guy do his work._ I refocused on Winston as he appeared to regain awareness of his surroundings. I pulled out two more shotguns and readied myself to land the final blow.

"I'll be sure to send them your regards, _monkey_."

He seemed to snarl as he painfully lifted his head, "I'm not a _monkey,_ " He reached over and grabbed some device before sliding it next to me. It did nothing for a second before flashing _fail_ signs and blaring an alarm.

I laughed at the failed attempt and looked back at the fallen gorilla. He completed his sentence before hiding underneath his arms, "I'm a _scientist_."

I barely had any time to react before the device flashed a bright light and I was knocked back into a table. I shook my head and looked up to see Winston grabbing a large Tesla cannon. My eyes widened in horror as I pulled out another shotgun in a futile attempt to stop him before he pumped electricity into me.

Memories of pain flashed through my mind in a single instant.

 _I screamed as electricity slowly began burning my skin._

My eyes darted about, desperately searching for something to relieve me of this pain. My eyes caught a distant area, some place where Winston wouldn't be able to find me. I used all of my strength to shadowstep to that spot. Just as my skin began to burn, my body dissipated into darkness, and I was gone from sight.

I couldn't breath as my rematerialized in a dark corner. Underneath all the cluttered remains of Winston's lab, he wouldn't be able to find me. In a useless attempt to end the pain, I closed my eyes, but it was pointless. The searing sensation of being electrocuted and burnt alive hung to my body. I slowly slid down until I was sitting against the wall.

I scowled as I heard voices in the distance.

" **Extraction… ninety percent."**

" **Failing… ninety-eight percent."**

" _Athena?_ "

" **Virus quarantined."**

I scowled as I realized that I'd failed.

 _I… I failed._

This thought ran through my thoughts repeatedly until Athena's voice rang out again.

" **Establishing Agent connections."**

I opened my eyes as I heard this. _Agent connections?_ My breathing became heavier. _He's planning to rebuild Overwatch._ I grit my teeth, _And I let him._ I slowly stood and allowed my form to shift into shadows. Then, I quickly left my hiding spot and exited the building.

I called for pickup and silently returned to the Talon HQ. The moment I arrived, I underwent medical care before I went to find solace in the training room.

As I entered the room, Widowmaker seemed to be putting her rifle away. She looked like she had just finished training. I tore my mask from my face and tossed it to the side as I stormed towards her.

She sucked in her breath as she saw the freshly made burns on my face, "Reaper? What happened to you?"

I growled, " _Where were you?"_

She raised a brow before asking, "What do you mean?"

I stopped just short of her face, "You said you'd watch my back. Well, _what happened?_ "

She narrowed her eyes and took a step back, "I did say that, but you must tell me what happened."

"I was so close to finishing Overwatch off for good, but that _damn monkey_ ruined everything. I was _alone._ So, let me ask one more time, _where were you._ "

" **Widowmaker, Reaper appears to be showing signs of delirium. His heart rate is unnaturally high."**

" _Shut up!_ " I barked, at the computer screen before looking back at Widowmaker. "I should've known better than to trust some bitch who murdered her own husband."

I apparently hit a nerve as her arm shot out. In one swift motion, she grabbed my arm, swung me around, and shoved me against the wall.

I struggled to shake loose of her grip, but she immovably held my throat against the wall. Her glare seemed to pierce my soul as she leaned in until we mere inches apart. "I will protect you, Reaper. _À la vie, à la mort._ Never doubt that. Now tell me what has happened to you."

I lowered my head as shame crept through my mind. I shut my eyes as I choked out, " _I failed._ "

Silence filled the room as both of us refused to speak.

The space was interrupted as I sucked in a breath, "Because of my failure, everything is crumbling around me."

Widowmaker seemed to whisper as her eyes focused on the freshly made burns. "Who did this to you?"

I shook my head, "That doesn't matter. I need to-" I bit my lip, drawing blood until it slowly trickled down my chin. "I- I need to-"

" _Shh._ " She cut me off by pulling me into a hug. My eyes widened as this literally cold blooded killer pulled me into an embrace. " _Shh._ Everything's okay now."

We stayed like that for a few minutes before I'd finally calmed down. I slowly pulled away from her, but I refused to look her in the eye. I heard her voice ask quietly once again. "What do you need to do?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled as I considered what to say. It took a moment before I finally realized what I would have to do. I looked up and stared at her face. She looked concerned, almost like a normal human being. I swallowed the lump in my throat before saying,

"I need to go back to Overwatch."


	15. Maybe

"I still don't understand what you mean."

Widowmaker ducked just as my fist swung where her head would've been. I grunted, "It's simple." She shot up and threw her knuckles into the bottom of my jaw, forcing me to stumble back. I shook my head, "Winston's recalled Overwatch, which means that they'll all be working together."

She began to walk towards me, "Yes, but why does that-" but I interrupted her as I charged forward and tackled her to the floor, knocking the air out of her lungs. "I won't be able to hunt down Overwatch agents if they're all together. I'd be dead in a second."

She quickly caught her breath and swung her leg around my neck, and forced me into an arm lock. "If it's so simple, what's your plan?" I immediately relaxed my arm, reached up, and attempted to break free. "I need to get inside, and I doubt that they'll just let me in. So, I'm thinking-" I shouted in pain as I pulled too hard and pulled my arm out of it's socket.

Widowmaker rolled off of me as I struggled to push it back in place. I continued, " _I'm thinking_ that I should bait them in, let them capture me so I can destroy them from the inside."

She helped me up as she asked, "And how is that supposed to work? You said so yourself, they could just kill you on the spot."

I brushed myself off before heading over to grab a wet towel. "I'm not worried about that. If I let them think that they're the heroes they make themselves out to be, I should get away with just a prisoner treatment."

She watched as I drenched my face to cool off. "Okay, and what is your plan after your capture? I hardly believe that eliminating Overwatch will be that much easier with them watching your every move."

"I'll be fine." I coughed as I tossed her the towel. "I've gotten myself out of worse situations." I leaned against a table as Widowmaker began wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Besides, it's the challenge that'll make it all worth it." I said as I grinned.

She ran the towel across her arms, leaving droplets of water in it's trail. She looked up at me and raised a brow, "I see that you have become more comfortable with walking about without your mask. Is there a reason?"

"Oh, It's just-" I said as I reached up and gently brushed my heavily scarred skin, "a _reminder_ of what I've suffered." I looked up at her, "A _motivation._ "

She nodded, seeming to accept the reason. I raised a brow and folded my arms, "What about you? You seem weirdly more _human_ today. Something happen to put you in a good mood?"

She paused before quickly tossing the towel back to me. I caught it and dropped it in a bin to be cleaned later. When I looked back, she was already walking out of the room. As she left, her expression had returned back to its neutral state.

 _There we go. That's the heartless killer I know and love._

I turned around and faced the training room computer. "Sombra, you listening in?"

" **Yes. I find your plan unnecessarily risky and pointless."**

"Good. So you'll be helping with the mission?" I said it more as a statement than a question.

" **I would rather not, but since you have a streak of failing when left on your own, and this entire operation seems foolish already, then I have no choice but to assist you in order to preserve Talon's classified information."**

"So in short, you're in?"

" **Yes."**

"Then notify me about any activities made by any of the Overwatch agents. If it helps, try to focus on Winston's actions. He'll most likely attract the most attention and the agents will probably recall to him first."

" **Understood. Do you need anything else?"**

I waved off the question and began to walk away, "No, you're free to eavesdrop on any victim you'd like."

As I left the room, I decided to speak to someone I hadn't addressed in a while. As I entered the doors to the Talon laboratory, I saw the old man tinkering with a motherboard. He wore large smudged glasses that seemed to fade away his eyes.

"Doctor Richter. Working on a new project?"

He ignored my question and instead answered with one of his own, "What are you doing here, Agent Reaper?"

"What?" I said, folding my arms, "I'm not allowed to visit the man who turned me into a killing machine?"

He fixed his glasses into position before resuming his work, "Well, no. Technically, you were a killing machine before we even set our eyes on you. I merely gave you the tools to make your job easier."

"Fair enough." I nodded, but the doctor seemed impatient. He set down his tools and began to take of his gloves. "But enough with the formalities. You need some equipment, no?"

I hesitated before nodding, "How'd you guess?"

He tossed his gloves carelessly into a waste bin beside him. "That's all anyone seems to care about with me. I do so much for this organization, and yet I never seem to be recognized as anything more than a technological slave." He shook his head, grumbling, "I might as well be one of those junkers from the Outback."

I raised a brow, "Or an Omnic?" He laughed as he shook his head, "Hardly comparable. Omnics were built to serve. Humans were to built to evolve."

I cautiously stepped next to him, "So if you hate it so much, why don't you just leave?" I saw his brows furrow as he said very grimly, "That's a very dangerous thing to be saying. Talon has eyes everywhere, you know?"

I shrugged, "Even if there were cameras recording, the footage would have to get through Sombra first, and I doubt she'd do anything to jeopardize my mission."

He visibly froze as he looked into my eyes, "Then you don't know her enough." He paused before letting out a sigh, realizing that his warning was wasted on me. His eyes widened as he realized what I said.. "Your _mission_? Something I should know?"

I nodded, leaning in to whisper so nobody could be listening, "Overwatch is being recalled. I'm planning to let myself get caught by them, but Talon doesn't know. If things start to blow up around here because of it, I'd prefer to have a contact on the outside for potential assistance."

He leaned in as well, his voice just barely audible, "You want to let yourself be caught? That's a fool's errand." I shook my head, "It's the only way to take them all out at once. So whether you support the decision or not, the chaos is going to be your only opportunity to leave."

He seemed stubborn, but I could see his resistance wavering, "I- it would be suicide. Even if I did manage to escape, Talon would find me eventually. I would be labeled a traitor-"

" _And be assassinated?_ " I scoffed, "You're a smart man, doctor. You know that Widowmaker and I are the only _real_ assassins in Talon."

The doctor didn't smile, "I assume that with your request, you have some means for my departure?" I shook my head, "I can get you the opportunity, Doc. But everything else is up to you."

The aged man groaned as he rubbed his forehead. He visually pondered, as if weighing the possible outcomes. He warily glanced at the corner of the room, probably at a hidden camera, and sighed in resignation. "Alright, I'll take the chance." He glared, "But if this operation goes south, don't expect to hear from me again."

I grinned, "I wouldn't expect any more from you. But if things do work out, I'd like to have your assistance." I said, waiting for confirmation.

"And you'll have it. But for now, I would like for you to leave. Apparently, I have a lot of packing to do." He said pushing me out of the room. As the door shut closed, I stood alone in the hallway.

 _Good. I'll need an ally if this is going to work out. Next, let's see if I can organize a team to-_

My thoughts were interrupted as my holopad let out a ring. I opened it up to see a notification from Sombra, labeled " **A Present From a Friend** ".

 _Already?_

Immediately, I saw several pictures from surveillance cameras showing the monkey and his British friend from different angles. They seemed to be trying to hide with disguises in the middle of a crowded street.

 _Idiots. Why would you even bother with the disguises if you're just going to walk in plain sight? And if you were going to use disguises, at least use something better to cover up that monkey's big head. He sticks out like a sore thumb._

I scrolled down further to see a note.

 **"The two seem to be patrolling the Overwatch Museum. Amazing how quickly people will build a temple to fallen gods, isn't it? Anyways, they apparently heard that one of Doomfist's gauntlets were just shipped it, and they don't want anyone trying to fuss with it. If you really intend on proceeding with your plan, I recommend** _ **attacking**_ **the museum. I've already sent a request to the board, and they agree that "taking the gauntlet could potentially open the gates to the next apocalypse". Don't ask me if that's meant to be a good or bad. I don't question the higher ups.**

 **PS. Your ship is already waiting for you, so you might want to hurry up before they call off the mission."**

 _So much for organizing a team._ I internally groaned as I turned on my heel and sprinted down the hall. I brushed past a couple of agents, but they didn't question as I sped towards the hanger.

As I burst through the glass doors, I found my aircraft with its bay already opened. I approached it, expecting to see at least a small group of agents waiting for me. Instead, I was met with Widowmaker leaning against the frame with her arms crossed.

We stared at each other, my heavy breathing echoing throughout the room. I closed my mouth and swallowed a lump in my throat, before finally deciding to speak.

" _No._ "

She visibly furrowed her brows, "What?"

"I said, _no._ " I stated simply, walked around her into the jet. "You're not coming with me."

She turned to face me, her arms still folded, "And why shouldn't I-"

" _Because I'm planning to get caught._ " I growled, "And it's like you said. There's a chance that they'll just shoot me down on the spot. Having you there won't help." I glared.

I watched her roll her eyes. "Do you really think that's enough to convince me to let you do this without me?"

"It doesn't matter. Talon losing one of their best agents is bad enough. They wouldn't be able to handle losing the other one."

She shifted her weight to her other foot as she retorted, "I'm not letting you go alone. I said that I was your partner, and I still am." I saw her pause before seeing her shift her gaze to the floor, "And you were right. When you come back last night, burnt and in tears, I realized that I failed you by letting you suffer that pain again." Her eyes hardened as she looked back into my eyes, "I won't allow myself to fail again."

From there, we remained silent for several seconds. _I shouldn't let her in._ "I can handle being on my own. Besides, I'm sure Sombra ordered some soldiers to accompany me on the mission."

Widowmaker's face instantly transitioned into an amused look as raised a brow. Then giving an exaggerated glance around the room, she said, "That's interesting, because I seem to be the only help you have in the hanger."

I felt heat rush to my face as I realized the truth behind her statement. I lowered my head and let out a deep sigh.

"Fine."

She gave a smirk that screamed victory as she stepped past me and buckled herself into a seat.

"But just so we're clear, the moment you see me go down, I expect you return to Talon to report the loss."

I watched as she slowly nodding, as if calculating the effect of her response, "I understand." I should have demanded more than that, but I was interrupted as the entrance closed, and we began to lift off the ground.

It didn't take long for me to notice a new notification on my holopad.

 **"Agent Widowmaker is correct. It would be much more beneficial to your wellbeing if you had a partner with you on this mission."**

I scoffed, drawing Widowmaker's attention. Tapping my finger along the side of the holopad, I mouthed, _Sombra_. She must have understood because she immediately leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes.

"Sombra, I know this wasn't an accident. Why did you tip Widowmaker off?"

 **"You know, you should be thanking me. Do you really want to lead another group of amateurs?"**

"Funny you should mention that." I growled, "Why would you set me up on a mission that important with a team who barely knows how infiltrate a structure?"

 **"That is a question to be answered at another time."**

"Don't bullshit me, Sombra."

There was a pause before another message appeared. " **I merely believed that you would be capable of teaching the new recruits how to properly carry out an infiltration. I had faith that you would succeed, but I was sorry to hear otherwise."**

A sigh escaped my lips as the memory lingered in my mind. Nodding slowly, I said, "Yeah. But this plan will make up for it." There was no response as the humming of the jet filled the silence.

"Widowmaker." She raised her brow, her eyes still shut.

"Why are you doing this?"

She seemed exhausted as she finally revealed her piercing golden eyes. "I'm sorry?"

"You know you're not obligated to do this. There's no way that Talon would know enough to send you to keep me in check. And I highly doubt you actually want the Doomfist, so what's your _real_ reason for coming here with me?"

She rolled her eyes, "Was my reason before not acceptable?" I shook my head, "It's not that. I just didn't expect a killer to really feel that way."

I saw a twitch in her brow as she gave me a glare, "Will you always refer to me as a killer?"

"Ah…" _She didn't seem happy about that comment._ "I guess it's just become natural after watching you hunt for so long." That didn't seem to help as her attention never wavered.

I cleared my throat before trying to defuse the situation. "Well, why does it bother you? Weren't you basically brainwashed to be the _perfect_ assassin? I didn't think being called a _killer_ would be an issue."

Her gaze immediately grew cold. "Being brainwashed isn't a fond memory. I realize that Talon made me the way I am right now, but it doesn't change the fact that I was someone entirely different before they got to me. I would like to think that that person is hiding someone beneath the walls Talon has placed in my mind."

"That's a very dangerous thought to have. It could possibly present a weakness."

She shook her in disapproval, "It is not a weakness to feel human. For as long as I've hunted for Talon, I have felt as though I were nothing but a tool."

I leaned forward in my seat, "And now?"

She seemed to look into my eyes, and for a second, I could see her as Amelie Lacroix and not Widowmaker. "If I still felt the same way, do you think I would be helping you right now?"

I was at a loss for words as what she said processed in my mind, and before I could respond, I saw another notification appear on my holopad.

 **"Now, this is a very touching scene. I wish I could say more, but unfortunately I am hidden behind a screen right now."**

"Hidden behind a screen?" I questioned, "I always thought you were just a really advanced AI."

 **"You cannot see it, but I am laughing. Yes, I typically don't reveal that information to anyone, but this is a special occasion."**

I chuckled, "Well, if we're all confessing secrets, I may as well let one out before we arrive at the museum." I looked back up at Widowmaker, who seemed to be looking intently at my conversation with Sombra.

"There is a serious chance that once I am caught, they won't let me escape. As you two know, I plan to trap myself in their surveillance, and eliminate Overwatch from the inside." I stared at the floor grimly. "I'll probably die trying, but I know I'll at least be able to take out the major members."

"So, knowing that this could possibly be my last time talking to either of you, I just wanted to thank you for having my back when no one would."

Widowmaker's look shifted to one of concern as she opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by another message from Sombra.

 **"You can thank us after you come back and Overwatch has been mysteriously destroyed. Knowing you, you will probably make a show of it too."**

As I laughed aloud, making Widowmaker flinch in the process, the plane noticeably slowed to a halt, the entire aircraft shuddering as it connected with the ground. With a deep breath, I forced myself up, leaving my holopad on the seat as a last message flashed on the screen in purple and black font with a digital skull glitching out behind it.

 **"Good luck."**

I walked towards the entrance, Widowmaker standing by my side. I couldn't but recognize this situation as almost identical to when we first began to fight together. A reluctant smile found its way upon my lips as I looked forward, the light from the outside seeming through the cracks of the door.

Regardless of what I had said earlier, a part of me felt lucky to have Widowmaker with me on this mission. It felt relieved. It wasn't far from what I had felt like back when the Overwatch Task Squad was first starting.

Before my death.

Before Blackwatch.

Before the argument.

Before the title.

Before Angela.

Back when it was just me and Jack, standing side by side, ready to save the world from the Omnic Crisis.

I covered my eyes with the back of my hand as the metal door slowly opened, let the light from the outside through.

 _I'm not stupid enough to consider Widowmaker or Sombra my friends. Friends are a weakness that can be exploited and used against you. Jack is proof of that._

 _But maybe if Talon had never existed, and Widowmaker had never been brainwashed,_

 _Maybe we could have been._

 _Not as Widowmaker and Reaper._

 _But maybe as Amelie Lacroix and Gabriel Reyes._

* * *

 _I am so so sorry that this chapter took so long to publish. I have had the worst writers block ever, and I know that doesn't make up for it, so for anyone who doesn't want to hear it, you can just leave now so I don't take up too much of your time._

 _To be completely honest, this chapter is the one that broke me. I had been struggling with the past chapters, but this is the one that drained the life out of me. I had lost inspiration. I love learning about the Overwatch universe, and I love making a story that would be mostly true to it's lore, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to do this in this story without making things dull and boring. I have so much fun making these chapters, but as it went on, it became more of a job than an interest. I didn't want to let you guys down by not releasing chapters, but I also didn't want to disappoint you guys with a sloppily written one either._

 _So I gave up. I exited out of the document, which was something I never did, and I went on with my life, using the excuse that I would just "get back into it once I brainstormed a little". But I never did. I spent week after week ignoring the document, dreading the difficulty that I would face after starting it up again, only to give up once again after a couple of hours of staring at the same paragraph._

 _But one day, I logged back into , just to look back at what I had already done, regretting not being able to finish the story, when I looked at the reviews. I had originally clicked on the option expecting to see endless rows of hate reviews, telling me that I was just like every other author who didn't finish their work, and that they were done with waiting for a new chapter. Instead, I was blown away with how much support there was, written in every review. People telling me that it sucked that I wasn't posting anything, but they were still eagerly waiting for a new chapter. People saying that it was okay if I needed time to think of new ideas. People still praising my chapters even though I was never fully satisfied with them._

 _Looking at all these reviews, I felt something that I hadn't felt in the two months spent running away from this story. I felt that inspiration that I had when I typed out my first sentence of the first chapter. And I'm sorry if this is sounding way too sappy for you guys and it's sounding like I'm about to propose to you all, but honestly, I couldn't believe how many of you guys were still waiting._

 _So I got off my ass and got back to work. I picked up where I left off on the chapter, and spent hours out of the next few days to get this chapter done. And while I wasn't making up for all the weeks spent away from it, I felt satisfied with the results. So, I'm sorry if the chapter wasn't worth the wait, but I couldn't be happier with the fact that I'm finally uploading a new one. And I'm not stupid enough to promise that I'll be uploading regularly as I did at the start of the chapters, cause school is taking away all of my free time, but I swear that I'll be working hard to upload the next chapter as soon as I can. I don't know if that'll be in the next couple days, the next couple weeks, or the next couple months, but I'll doing my best._

 _So, in case it wasn't clear, I want to say thank you to all of you who were patient enough to wait through those months without any notice or details as to my absence. I want to thank you all for your support and your advice, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter. I also want to apologize for making you read all of this dialogue, but I just wanted to let you all know how much your presence meant to me. And like I said, I can't promise that the next chapter will be out soon, but I hope you'll be patient again and wait this one out, and I'll do my best to make it worth the wait. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy the many more to come._

 _~Atlas_


	16. A Means to an End

_Is it real? Is he back? Yes, he is! After literally a year of on and offs of trying desperately to write this chapter, I finally finished. I know it's been a long wait, even longer than the one before, but thank you so much to every who stuck around. I actually spent this time brainstorming and thinking of how I want to end this story, because, obviously, every good story needs an ending. With a fresh mindset and, hopefully, a lot of new ideas, I think I can keep going strong and resume the story. The fire is alive once again, and now that I'm out of school, I believe I can finish this up. With that being said, I hope you guys are ready for more chapters to come, and I hope you enjoy this chapter of Death's Blossom._

 _~Atlas_

* * *

"I see it."

I lower my binoculars before speaking into my mic once again. "The Doomfist Gauntlet's locked in a glass case. Should be fairly easy to break into."

I knelt alone on roof of an apartment building, approximately 100 yards away from the Overwatch Museum. As I observed the crowd surrounding the building, I noticed that, despite that respectable size of the structure, not that many people seemed interested in the museum itself.

I raise the binoculars to my eyes once more, glaring into through the windows. The mechanical whirring of the device fills my ears as the scope zooms in several times into the building.

Now scanning through a network of glass panes, revealing the inside of the museum, I see several glass shells holding a number of devices that I recognized from my time in Overwatch.

There were only a few visitors lounging around in the area, so I wouldn't have to worry about too many casualties. My thoughts were interrupted as a static filled my ears, before a silent sultry voice peaked through.

"Do you see the targets?"

The scene in front of me blurs as I switch my focus back to the crowd outside of the museum. "Nothing. Anything on your end?"

"I let some cameras catch a glimpse of me, but no alarms have been set off. Perhaps it would be more efficient to simply engage the-"

Her voice was cut off by a more cheerful one, "Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"

I flinched as gunfire rang out through the communicator. _Sounds like she found one of them._ "I'm on my way, Widowmaker."

A deep gruff voice resonates behind me before I feel the heavy impact of a large gorilla fist against my ribs. "No, you're not."

My body goes weightless as I'm sent spiraling off the roof before crashing on top of a dumpster in an alleyway. As I collided with the heavy metal, the trash did little to cushion the fall as the air is knocked out of my lungs.

I watched through blurry eyes as the great ape leaped down, the force of his fall leaving a crater in the cement. A groan escaped my throat as I tried to push myself off the garbage, only for the monkey to clutch my skull in a hand.

"What are you doing here, _Reaper_?" Snarling as he spat at my name. _How easy it must be to act like a hero._

I've decided to make this harder for the gorilla, so he won't be suspicious when I'm caught. As a shotgun quickly forms in my hand, I say, "Just thought I'd drop by." With that, I unload a shell into Winston's chest, knocking him away. As he staggers backwards, his foot caught on the scattered remains of garbage and he toppled over, his head colliding with the wall behind him.

A groan escapes his lips as my shadow crept over his hulking body. "Isn't this getting a little old, monkey? I'm starting to get tired of making a fool of you."

He grits his teeth as he shakily pushes himself upwards. "I don't know what you're here for, but if Talon's involved, it can't be anything good." I can't hold back a sigh as I shake my head.

"Fascinating. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

I fire off another shell, only for the monkey to shield himself with his arms. He pushes forward, and charges as I jumped to the side, only for him he to grab my coat and throw me into the wall, completely breaking through, leaving bricks scattered across the floor.

I crack my neck as I force myself up, Winston's massive form towering over mine. Gunshots ring in the distance as I see Widowmaker grapple past through the alleyway.

Before he can notice, I push a shotgun into Winston's chest and fire again, launching him back, right into a familiar brown haired girl who happened to be sprinting by.

As they scramble to recover, I step over the debris. The two give a quick look at each before Winston leaps off to chase Widowmaker.

The girl quickly stands up, trash sliding off her shoulder as she stares me down with a defiant look in her eyes.

"Lena? Lena Oxton?"

Her face betrays her as her eyes widens in surprise. "I'm sorry. Have we met somewhere before?"

 _Of course she wouldn't remember me. How could she? That's fine. It's better this way._

"Maybe somewhere in the past life." With that, I raise both shotguns and unload everything that's left. I'm not quick enough though as the girl flashes away in a blink. I feel a tap on my shoulder as I swing around, throwing a blind fist, only for the girl to blink away again.

She rests her arms on my shoulders and says, "By the way, to you, I'm just Tracer." As I swing my elbow across, she leaps away in a somersault, leaving plenty of room between us. I toss the empty guns to the ground and quickly draw two more.

I fire off more rounds, routinely exchanging shotguns whenever I ran out. Glancing behind me, I saw Winston bounding from building to building in pursuit of the blue-skinned assassin.

 _That's right. Just play with him until-_

"Eyes over here, love!"

I turn back, and in the moment of distraction, Tracer spun around and slung a pulse bomb. I easily sidestep it, but the moment I see it blinking, I drop my form into smoke.

As the bomb explodes, I speed out of the alleyway, watching as the gorilla finally caught up and tackled Widowmaker through the glass ceiling of the exhibit. I sigh as I launch myself upward towards the building. Tracer came running through the smoke and shouted, "Hey, wait! We're not done here", before following my trail.

Landing on the rooftop, I immediately see Winston charging at Widowmaker. But something else catches my eye. While everyone else was evacuating the area, two boys were hiding behind a statue.

 _Didn't anyone teach these kids to stay out of danger's way._

I jump, shadow stepping on the way down to intercept the giant ape's path.

 _I guess I'll just have to work around them._

As Winston and I circle around each other, I can see Widowmaker fly by in the distance, once again going head to head with Tracer.

The longer the battle went on, the more tired I could tell everyone was getting. Once I went all out and unleashed a storm of bullets, Winston was stupid enough to rush towards me.

I guess he thinks he's strong to take endless shots to the body, but after collapsing to the floor, I can tell he doesn't have any more strength in him. _This is almost… pathetic._ I thought as I walked closer.

That's when I notice that his glasses are missing. _Okay, I can make this work._ I look down and spot the glasses on the floor. I give the gorilla a taunting glare as I lift my foot over it. The look he gives me is one of pure hopelessness and pleading. I start to feel bad, but I realize that I have to do this if I want to be captured.

 _This'll hurt, but the pain will be worth it if I can infiltrate Overwatch._ With that though, I press down and crush his glasses, completely shattering the lenses.

For a split second, his face slacks in disbelief. Before I can say anything, he snarls as he stands tall with a primal aura and swings his log-like arms, which leaves me sliding across the floor.

As Tracer goes dashing by, I push myself up and start shooting at her. But as she flips over me, I don't notice Winston coming from behind and wrapping his arms around my waist. He lifts me about 8 feet off the ground before slamming me directly into the ground.

With the world spinning around me, I could make out Widowmaker approaching the Doomfist gauntlet. As I blinked the blur away, I saw one of the kids snatch the gauntlet out of the case when Widowmaker wasn't looking. When she looked back, she started walking around the display to where the kid was hiding.

Then, the other one yells out. He's clearly the younger of the pair, but I'm sure it took a lot of heart to put himself in danger like that.

That didn't faze Widowmaker though as she instantly went on the hunt. _Damn it, Lacroix. Let's not make this any messier than it has to be._ But as I start to call out, the older child comes out from hiding and, wearing the Doomfist gauntlet, throws a punch right into her ribs, sending her flying across the room.

I held back a laugh, _I guess they're not so bad after all._ I ignored the knowledge that Widowmaker would probably kill them if she got her hands on them as Winston jumped in front of her.

Before she could do any real damage, Tracer blinks past and grabs her rifle out of her hands. Leaping into the air, the former pilot fired several rounds, forcing Widowmaker to retreat.

I jump into action, grabbing hold of her waist as she grapples through the ceiling. As we rise, I drop some grenades to distract the gorilla from chasing us.

In the split second before we reach the top, I look down and see the two brothers, looking up at us as we escaped. They're eyes are filled with fear and worry. I know they'll probably only ever see me as the villain, but that's fine. It's better that they don't know the truth about Overwatch, and what happened. They shouldn't have to know that everyone they see as heroes, are monsters.

At that same moment, I see a screen show a picture of the old Overwatch, when we first started as an organization. It's absolutely an over glamorized depiction of what we did, but it inspired hope in the people. That was back when that's all we were meant to do. Keep people safe and give them hope. But things changed. Then, it was all about the publicity, and making sure that everyone knew that _we_ were the heroes. All they did was sugarcoat everything, to make it seem like protecting others didn't come with a cost. We were soldiers, not politicians. Our existence was to kill so others wouldn't have to. But it's impressive how quickly they lost sight of that.

And now look at the world. Riddled with chaos and paranoia, everyone wants their _perfect_ heroes again. If Overwatch did come back, the cycle would only repeat. And sooner or later, people are going to realize how damaged those heroes are.

But kids like them- the weak who become inspired to be strong- I think that's why we made Overwatch in the first place.

With that thought, Widowmaker and I land onto the rooftop, pausing to look at each other. "Last chance, Widowmaker. If you have any doubts, you should run now."

Her eyes softened, as she reaches out and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Je resterai avec vous jusqu'à la fin. Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head. I was still getting used to the gentle side of this woman.

"It means I will remain with you until the end."

There was a tender moment between the two of us, before we were interrupted by the giant mass of Winston's body landing behind us. Widowmaker turned to look at me once more, her eyes reverting back to its piercing gaze. "Now, we must run."

We immediately started sprinting across the ceiling, stopping only to grapple to another rooftop. We leapt from building to building in the chase, with Winston and Tracer getting closer every moment.

The British pilot dashed forward and fired off her pulse pistols, hitting us both in the back, mid-jump. We crashed into the wall and fell 5 stories into a garbage container.

I gripped the edge as I pulled myself up. I turned to see Widowmaker groaning on the side of the container, until a giant hand grabbed my neck and threw me against the cement.

Tracer had finally landed when Winston lifted his fists up and began violently pummeling me. Every contact sent a searing pain to my brain and left my body shuddering under the impact.

With each slam, I felt my consciousness drifting away. The haze of pain made it difficult to make out, but I could hear Tracer's voice, riddled with panic. "Winston? Winston! Stop!"

My body went limp as he picked me up once more and trapped me against the wall, throwing his fist across my jaw repeatedly. He didn't show any intent on stopping.

 _He's going to kill me._

Then it stopped. My head hung low as I slowly blinked. I looked up to see Tracer holding Winston's arm back as it was aimed to swing down.

"Don't stop me, Lena. He's a monster and he's killed hundreds of people."

"Let's just capture him. We can learn more about Talon that way."

"He'll just escape again, and when he does, who's going to stop him from killing more? This needs to end now."

"If you kill him, you're no better than he is. You're a hero, Winston. Not a bloody murderer. What would Harold say?"

I saw the confliction in his eyes as he hesitated. His gaze shifted to the ground as he began lowering his fist.

A chuckle rumbled in my throat before I threw my head back against the wall. Winston froze and gave me the deadliest glare he could muster. Blood dripped from my mouth as I laughed uncontrollably. He snarled, "What are you laughing about?"

The laughter died down as I looked the gorilla in his eyes and said, mockingly,

"All this time, and you're still nothing but the lapdog of Overwatch."

That pushed him over the edge. Immediately, he pulled his fist back and swung it, cracking me across my jaw. Tracer screamed in panic, " _Winston!_ "

Then everything went black.

…

…

…

When I next awoke, I found myself chained up in a pure white cell. A glass wall separated me and the chair Winston sat upon. He glared at me from the corner of his eye.

"You know, you don't deserve to be alive right now."

I sighed as I leaned back against the hard wall, closing my eyes from the exhaustion.

"I know."

* * *

 _Okay, I know, not as long as you would expect after literally a year's work. Honestly, it's not as good as I'd like it to be either, but I needed to get that transition in for the next phase of Death's Blossom. As much as I would've liked to completely gloss over this chapter and proceed to Reaper's captivity, I knew I absolutely had to do this, no matter how badly it frustrated me. Anyways, that's all for this chapter, and once again, I sincerely appreciate all of you who kept giving me motivation to write more, telling me how much you loved the stories and how you couldn't wait for more. I promise you, there is definitely more to come. I don't care how much work I have, how much time is available, I'm fitting this into my schedule. I hope you guys are excited for next chapter, because I am!_


	17. Captivity

Minutes passed with complete silence before I finally spoke up.

Winston was fiddling with the glasses I had crushed earlier, obviously upset about the damage. "I don't know why you waste your time. Just get new glasses. You could find thousands, just like that one."

The look he gave me was one of a wild animal. "They're irreplaceable. You wouldn't understand their true value if I spelled it out for you."

I raised a brow, then scoffed and looked at the wall. "I guess not."

He huffed before hunkering down and trying to bend the frame into the right shape. After another moment of silence, he straightened his back. He sighed and said softly, "It was Harold's."

"Ah." I nodded, "Your owner before we picked you up in Overwatch."

"He wasn't my owner." He growled. Lowering his eyes, he stared at the glasses and said, "He was a father to me."

I shifted slightly to a more comfortable position. "But he's not alive anymore, is he?"

His expression darkened immediately.

"I thought so. You were fortunate to have such a man in your life."

He looked over at me, cautiously. "Yes. Yes, I was." Clearly, he didn't trust me. _That's fine. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to kill them._

So I nodded, "Right. I didn't think there was anyone in this world who was stupid enough to spend the entirety of their life on a talking monkey."

His face hardened as he growled, " _What?_ "

"I'm sure he must have been lonely. Abandoning his family, if he had any, to study _a monkey_ for decades. It must be heartbreaking to know that your _father_ died sad and alone, with nothing to his name, but _you._ "

I shot up out of his seat and slammed his fist against the glass wall, " _You bastard!_ "

"Winston!"

The young pilot blinked forward and stepped in between the gorilla and the barrier. "Don't let 'im get to you, buddy." She reached up and held his fist with both of her hands. "He's just getting into your head. Why don't you go talk with Athena? Have a nice banana with peanut butter?" She said, giving a gentle smile.

His heavy breathing eased as his focus shifted to his companion. He glanced over at me at the corner of his eye. "But what about him?"

Tracer grinned, "I'll keep a look out!" Winston frowned, "I don't know, Lena. He's dangerous and I-"

"Up, up, up!" She exclaimed, interrupting him. She started shoving him away, despite the obvious difference in size, pushing him out of the room, ignoring his complaints. "Don't you worry your big smart head. I'll be fine. Now, you go relax and get that rest you've been wanting, okay?"

With that last comment, I hear the door shut. Tracer lets out a silent sigh, before spinning around with a bright smile. She hummed as she walked over and plopped down onto the chair.

"So, Gabriel Reyes. Who would've thought that you'd start working for Talon? Huh, guess life's just strange that way, isn't it?"

It was at that moment that I was suddenly very aware of my lack of a mask. This meant that she could see me, and everything that happened to me. _The scars that should've killed me._ I decided to remain silent.

Her smile softened when she looked down as she swung her feet. "You know, I thought you were dead for sure. We all did." Her gaze flickered up to see my reaction. When she got none, she continued.

"When the Overwatch headquarters collapsed with you and Commander Morrison in it, we thought, ' _That was it'_. No more Overwatch. No more heroes." Her grin quickly returned, "But we kept helping people. Behind the scenes. Whenever someone needed us, we were there. Because- Because we thought it's what you two would want us to do."

 _So that's how she feels. It's a wonder how she's able to stay so cheerful after everything that's happened._

I blinked as she stood up abruptly. "Why aren't you saying anything?" At this point, I realized her smile was gone. "You know, I was devastated when I found out you died."

That's when I noticed the tears in her eyes. "After you and the commander were gone, it's like everyone lost hope. Ana disappeared, Reinhardt when off to do his own thing, Genji went back home."

But her pleading eyes were met with nothing but a hardened stare.

Her shoulders drop as she steps forward and rests a hand on the glass wall. She leans her forehead against the screen and whispers, "I don't know what happened to you that day, Gabriel. But whatever it was must have been terrible if it drove you to be like this."

Finally, I spoke. Leaning my head to the side, I said, "You couldn't possibly understand why I am what I am today."

Her eyes looked weary as she gently pushed on. "Then, tell me. Please, I want to know why."

I scoffed, looking off to the side. "I'm a soldier. I was born to a soldier, born to be a soldier, and I died a soldier. As a soldier, you do what you're told, and you kill people. Eventually, it takes a toll on you." My eyes focused on hers. "Maybe that's why."

Her focus wavered for a moment, before fixing itself back onto me. "I know that's not it, Gabriel. Something else happened that you're not telling me." She stepped back, her hand falling to her side. "And that's fine, but someone once told me if you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself, you won't be able to be there for the people who depend on you the most."

…

She sighed before turning away. "And for what it means, you were never just a soldier." Silence filled the air before I heard her speak again.

"You were my hero."

With that, a door quickly opened and closed, leaving me alone in the room with nothing but her words.

 _Time has really taken it's toll on her heart. It's incredible that she's able to act so happy with so much that's happened to her._

…

 _But really..._

I looked around the empty room, my chains rattling with every movement.

 _How dumb do you have to be to leave a prisoner unguarded?_

I twisted my body and wrists in such a way that I was easily able to break the chains that kept me bound. The shattered remains crumbled to the floor as I stood up for the first time since I awoke.

I stretched out my limbs, embracing the freedom that came with it. However, I froze as the sound of someone groaning filled my ears. It sounded feminine.

I held my ear close to the wall, as the groaning subsided. After a moment, I heard that French accent I'd grown so accustomed to. "Where am I?"

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Turning around, I slid down the wall until I was seated on the floor. "The operation was successful."

Seconds passed as I imagine she analyzed the room she was trapped in, before she spoke again. "So this is what they decided to contain us in."

I nodded, "Are you alright?" I heard movement as she sat down on the opposite side of the wall from me.

"I am fine. But now that we are inside, what is the plan?"

I watched the glass screen that separated me from outside. "First step is to find out how many of them there are. We aren't starting a fight that we'll lose the moment we walk out of these cells."

 _You were my hero._

"Next, I think I know how we can get out of here." Something shifted from the other side of the wall. "The girl?" She guessed.

"I didn't realize you were awake."

"I remained silent to hear what you would say."

I shook my head in disbelief. "She's too trusting. Too easy to manipulate. That trust will be the death of her."

"I agree; However, she makes up for it with her annoying skill in battle."

A memory generated in my mind. "You know, it's funny that you say that. She said that you two were really close friends before."

She scoffed, "I suppose at one point, we were. But that was when I was younger and much less experienced in the harsh reality of the world."

I laugh rumbled in my throat. "You know, she used to call you _Amy_." I could immediately see the scowl on her face as she explained, "A dumb nickname given by a foolish girl. Of course, I _never_ willingly responded to a name like that."

"You know," I said, thinking back, "The time I first met Tracer, that was about the time when we were looking for you."

I was met with silence, so I just laughed it off. "You had me furious. You should've seen me, I was throwing chairs and shouting to the top of my lungs."

I shook my head, a lingering smile quickly fading away. "I swore that day that I would kill you." When she said nothing, I kept going. "For Gerard."

…

"Did you ever really… _care_ about Gerard? Or did you just seduce him so you could kill him in his sleep?"

She hesitated, "No, that's not-"

"I mean, I don't blame you if you did. It was a good plan. Looking back at it, it was the most efficient method Talon could've used."

"I didn't-"

"Manipulate your way into his home. Make him believe that you loved him. Years later, he'd never even think that his own wife would betray him."

"Reape-"

"I mean, with a man like that, what other wa-"

" _Gabriel!_ " She snapped.

Flinching, I quickly shut my mouth.

I heard her sigh before she continued. "Gerard was… he was my love. Before Talon brainwashed me, I would have done anything for him."

"Even now, despite all that has happened, his touch and the affection he carried for me remain in my memory."

Curiosity pushed me to ask. "Then why-"

"Why did I kill the man I loved?" She finished. "Some days, I do not know myself. It is a difficult question to comprehend. But I do know this."

"After you rescued me from Talon's trap, I was relieved to finally see my Gerard again. But with each day that passed, I felt an urge. Something that was telling me to hurt him. Every moment he turned his back to me, I desired to end his life."

The rooms were silent as I listened for her next words.

"So I did."

I thought back to when I had first heard the news of Gerard's death. It was more than a loss of a fellow soldier, but a loss of a close friend. The news shattered the hearts of Overwatch, and we dedicated the day to mourning him.

"It was my first kill. It was… _terrifying._ But in a way, it was also thrilling." 

"At that moment, the urges stopped. I was lost, but I knew I had to return to the Talon base I escaped from. Once I had, it was decided that any time I killed a person, it was of my own doing. I became one with my inner demons, and I became stronger for it."

There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. "But that does not mean I do not miss Gerard. There are days where I wish I had never met the man, knowing his fate when I did."

I opened and closed my mouth, wondering what to say next. After coming to peace with every she had said, I decided. "Gerard would have been happy knowing that you were the one who killed him, and not some Talon soldier."

Her breathing was noticeably louder as she said, "I know."

...

I nodded. "But he's dead now. And he'll get to see his allies from Overwatch soon enough."

"Indeed, he shall."

The moment ended as a door opened nearby. I stood up to see two guards walking towards the glass wall.

"What's going on here?"

I backed up until I was up against the wall. One of the guards walked off the side, out of sight, while the other stood watch. Something clicked off in the distance, before a gas started being released into the room.

 _Knockout gas._

I held my hand up over my nose, but the effects were already kicking in. The world around me became distorted as I struggled to stay standing. I stumbled towards the glass, just barely throwing my hands out to catch myself as I started sliding down.

The world blurred and blended to an array of colors before fading to black.

…

…

…

" _Gabriel?"_

Out of the darkness, I heard a feminine voice.

" _Oh Gabriel, what have you become?"_

Though most of my body was numb, I was beginning to regain sense as I felt a soft hand gently caress the side of my face.

" _Please, wake up. I need you to wake up."_

My eyes slowly opened to a blinding light. I squinted as I adjusted to the intensity, eventually making out a figure sitting beside me.

The hand made its way down to mine, holding it tightly, as if I would float away if its grip loosened.

As my vision cleared, I was able to make out the details. The hand was a dainty, the skin smooth and soft in appearance. I looked up, noticing the obvious lab coat that the woman wore.

My eyes travelled further, setting on a name tag on her left breast, which had engraves in it, two words.

 _Dr. Ziegler._

My eyes widened as everything immediately focused on the woman's face.

There, was the beautiful smiling gaze of the woman who had infatuated me so many years ago. She still looked so young. Tears streamed down her face as she fixed her sight on my eyes.

We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity. Any breath had escaped my lungs, leaving me frozen in the moment.

I swallowed before opening my mouth.

" _Angela?_ "


	18. Family Reunion

Everything in my body jolted awake once I recognized her. I shot up, until the bindings on my wrists restricted me from moving further.

I struggled to break free, but Angela placed her hand on my chest. "Gabriel, it's okay. You're safe now."

But her words did little to relax my muscles. I looked around and took in my surroundings. I was strapped to a surgery table, in a bright room with medical tools set up on several counters and tables.

"Where am I?" I grunted as my head fell back on a rough pillow.

"This is… my office. Or at least, what I have made do with." She said as she gazed about the room, admiring her work.

I stared at her pale complexion. Every detail seemed to be exactly as I remembered it so many years ago. It's as if she hadn't aged at all since we last seen each other.

But then I snapped back to reality. I tried to push myself up, leaning on my elbows.

"Why-"

"Why are you here right now?" She interrupted me. Her hand left mine as she began fidgeting with her nails. "I had to perform a checkup to ensure that you were healthy and that you weren't carrying anything dangerous in your body."

"No, why-"

"Why are you bound to the table? I'm sorry, but you shouldn't expect much less after everything that's happ-"

"Why did you bring me back?"

She didn't respond this time, as her lips were frozen mid-sentence. They slowly closed as she swallowed. "How did you know it was me?"

I stared into her eyes. "You didn't exactly try to hide it in that house."

She nodded hesitantly, clearly nervous. "I… I see."

Silence filled the air. She refused to look at me, yet I could see a tinge of guilt in her body language. She muttered something.

"...you."

My head tilted to the side, "What?"

She finally made eye contact with me, her jaw set with certainty. "I needed you."

I scowled, "What, for some _experiment_. To test your _project_ on?"

"No." She said quickly, resting her hand back on mine. I stared at the contact before looking back up. She leaned closer and said softly, "I needed you."

Her eyes were sad as she leaned back. "I- I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. After all, you…"

"I what?" Pressing further. If I was bound to this table, I would sit up so I could talk to her like I wanted to back then.

She smiled wistfully, "You meant so much to me."

 _Meant. Meaning not anymore._ I settled back into the hard surface of the table. Staring at ceiling, I said absentmindedly, "You should've left me there."

This time, she was left speechless. " _What?_ "

I grit my teeth. "You _should have_ left me _dead_. Instead, you-" Pushing any strength I had within my body out, I snapped straight through the binds. "-You brought me back, as _this_." I said, gesturing to my face.

She stood from her chair, knocking it to the floor as she stepped away. I set my feet down on the ground and started walking towards her.

"What? Are you _scared_? Scared of the monster that _you_ created?"

I had her trapped in the corner as I rested my arm against the wall, beside her cheek. Leaning closer, I whispered into her ear.

"Are you, _Doc_?" I pulled away, grinning. My instincts kicked in, and I spun around to have the barrel of a rifle pressed against my forehead.

I scoffed, "Really? Come on, we learned this on the first day of training." I swung my arm across, disarming my assailant and aiming the rifle at him.

Or at least I would have, if he didn't twist his arm around and knock the blunt of his gun into my jaw.

I reeled back from the impact into the wall, my head spinning.

"We learned that on the second day."

My focus retrained onto the soldier that stood before me. His bright blue armor had faded since I last saw it. He wore a red visor over his eyes, clearly attempting to hide his identity.

He scowled, "You are one ugly bastard."

I straightened my back, blood trickling down my chin. I didn't notice that he had busted my lip though.

Angela immediately switched to her instincts, " _Jack!_ ", as she started tending to the lip. I didn't pay too much attention to her though.

"I knew you couldn't be dead, Morrison. Was hoping, but I knew a motherfucker like you wouldn't make it easy for me."

He kept his stance sturdy, and his aim was set between my eyes. "Step away from him, Angela."

She looked angry, as she turned to him. "Jack, you're being completely unreasonable right now."

 _She's on my side._ I thought, smug and proud of her response. I followed up, "Yeah, Morrison. Why don't you be a good boy and go play with your toys somewhere else?"

I felt the doctor's grip tighten on my arm. She gave an apologetic look to the former leader of Overwatch. "If you could, it would only be a moment."

He looked conflicted. "Angela, you can't seriously-"

"Jack, please."

His eyes shifted between Angela and me, before he made his choice. "Fine, but if anything happens, don't think you can protect him."

She gave him a gentle smile, "Thank you."

In a moment, he walked off, the sound of a door opening and closing echoing in the distance.

Angela stepped back and looked at me with a grim look on her face.

"Gabriel. I- I performed a check up on you, to see if Talon had implanted any bombs or anything dangerous in your body while you were out of action."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah? Not surprising. I expected as much from our first reunion."

She shook her head, "That's not the point. Gabriel, what I found inside you wasn't natural."

Scowling, I spit, "You're damn right. After _you_ brought me back, I found a new doctor. Someone who'd help me instead of just sealing up the wounds so they could be opened again."

I straightened my back, "Because of him, I'm a better soldier than I've ever been."

But she stepped forward, a concerned look bringing her brows together. "That's not what I meant. Do you- Do you remember ever having your mind tampered with during your stay with Talon."

I scoffed, "No, and even if I did have my brain messed with, do you really think Talon would let me remember it being done?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor as she bit her lower lip. "No, I suppose not. But Gabriel, I have found something that may explain why everything fell apart with you and Overwatch."

"Nothing fell apart with _me_. Overwatch was doomed the moment Morri-"

Her gaze hardened, "There is a chip implanted in your brain." I froze mid-sentence. " _What?_ "

"There is a chip in your brain. It doesn't seem surgically implanted, rather it appears to have attached itself after being injected into your bloodstream."

I was very aware that she could be lying to me, to get me reveal any secrets of Talon. But curiosity got the best of me, "Well, what does it do?"

"Supposedly, it generates what comes across as an internal voice. It affects your psychological state, influencing your decisions by essentially imitating your thought process. It worsens the host's aggressive nature and is capable of changing their mindset, making enemies seem like allies and allies like enemies, eventually taking over as the dominant voice in the host."

She paused, studying my features, as if trying to determine if I knew about this development. "Have you experienced any voices like that over the past few years, Gabriel?"

 _She won't come back. Not for you._

I furrowed my brows as I tried to remember.

 _God, you're so stupid._

I thought back to after we rescued Amelie the first time.

 _Nothing like pushing your pain onto someone else._

That's when everything went wrong.

 _What idiots._

Amelie did something to me.

 _Make them regret what they did you._

Every time I killed,

 _Now shut up, and kill him._

She was the reason why.

 _You're a monster._

All this time,

 _You've had your time to talk._

I've been someone else's puppet.

 _Sit back and watch how a real soldier does things._

Everything makes sense now.

 _It's about damn time._

...

I looked up into the doctor's eyes. Only one question remained for me, "What did you do with the chip?"

She looked off at one of her desks in the lab, "I had to surgically remove it. I hoped that without the chip, you would revert to your former state, before it affected your brain." She quickly looked back at me with a painful amount of hope in her eyes. "Do you feel any different?"

 _What I wouldn't have given for her to look at me like this back then._

 _But that's the past._

 _They can't change what they've done._

I internally sighed, knowing what I had to do.

"No. I don't." I could see her heart drop. "I'm still the monster that I've always been. No chip did this to me, _Doc._ This is the work of several years of pain and betrayal."

My fists clenched as I grit my teeth. "And if you still don't see that, you really aren't the genius everyone makes you out to be."

"You know what your biggest weakness is?" I leaned down, closer to her eye level. "You've never understood that some people are just evil inside."

"And that'll be what kills you one day."

I heard the door slide open again, as his light footsteps entered the room. As I heard a gun cock, I raised my hands. "Alright Morrison, we'll do things your way. I was getting bored of this place anyways."

I walked over to his direction, leaving the doctor with her jaw slacked.

As I exited the room, I felt the barrel of Morrison's rifle pressed against my back. I heard his rugged voice, "What were you two talking about in there?"

I scoffed, "You can ask her that." He pressed the weapon deeper into my skin, pushing me to walk faster. As we walked down the halls, I saw several faces pass by, some familiar, but most I had never seen before. There was one runt walking around with a metal peg leg. Looked a bit like a junker. A giant hulking mass followed shortly behind him.

"Looks like you've gotten desperate for help."

"We needed the assistance. Angela suggested we broadened our horizons and start recruiting again."

I chuckled, "So you've been begging commoners?"

I can hear the scowl in his voice. "They are anything but common."

"Of course they are. But that won't help much when they go into battle and get shot down like rats."

"We all know that's a risk we have to take. The world needs us, and we need all the help we can to keep the peace."

"After all this time, Morrison, and you're still holding on to this whole _hero_ thing. When are you going to realize that the world doesn't _want_ you anymore."

"What the world wants is-"

I cut him off, "You've never been a hero, Morrison. You're a soldier. I've been saying that from the very beginning. None of us were heroes. We were all just pawns, hoping to serve as much as we could. It's time all of you started understanding that, and act like the soldiers you-"

" _Well, you got what you wanted!_ " He barked, spinning me around. I stood face to face with my partner of the past. "You think we don't know that?" He leaned in until we were inches away from each other. "You think we don't understand that the world doesn't want us anymore? That every time we come into action, we're breaking a federal law. But-" He paused.

"It's not about what the world wants. It's about what the world needs. And if that makes us criminals, then fine. We'll be criminals. But we're doing what's _right_ , even if we have suffer all the pain and loss of our loved ones. And you're saying that I need act like a soldier, _well look around!_ "

He gestured outwards. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and stared at the two of us in the middle of the hallway. He looked back at me, and stared me dead in the eyes.

"We're all soldiers now."

Nobody moved. A single breath could break the tension in the air.

I glared him back, refusing to back down. " _Then die like one_."

With that, I swung my arm and struck him across his jaw, sending him reeling back. I reached out and gripped his rifle before planting my foot into his abdomen and sending him flying back.

I threw his gun to the floor before starting to step forward, but my attack was interrupted as my legs became frozen in an instant.

I looked around to see that everyone was immediately much closer than I remember. A short asian girl in heavy winter clothes stood there with a strange invention in her hands. Torbjorn stood furious atop of a turret that was set, ready to kill. A giant metal mech stood with its turrets pointed in my direction.

My instincts told me that if I would move so much as an inch, I'd be gunned down on the spot. Morrison grunted as he unsteadily got up from the ground. Glaring at me, he reached down for his rifle and walked towards me.

In an instant, he shot a bullet into my calf, shattering the ice and sending me collapsing to the floor. He grabbed my collar and dragged me across the floor. My blood streaked the floor as I was dragged away.

I was brought back into the room I first awoke in. He threw me into the cell and the walls shut closed behind me.

I pressed my back against the wall and watched as Morrison holstered his rifle. He crossed his arms and stared me down.

"We're not done with you, Reaper. I'm going to make you talk, even if it kills you."

I grinned, "Then we're both gonna be here for a while. I've got a lot of secrets. Here's one for you."

I leaned in, as he remained stone faced.

" _I'm going to kill you first._ "

His tough act dropped instantly, as he turned on his heel and stormed out.

I sighed as I straightened my legs, wincing as the bullet shifted in my leg. I reached in the wound, and pulled it out. Tossing the bullet to the side, I looked over at the wall beside me.

Something shifted as I heard that feminine accented voice speak. "Are you alright, Reaper?"

I froze at the sound of her voice. I held myself against the wall as I forced myself up. I could imagine her standing on the other side of the wall, leaning in to hear what I had to say.

As I spoke, I couldn't stop myself from being cold as I growled through a clenched jaw.

"I think you better start explaining some shit."


	19. Open Wounds

I stood there, silent, expecting a response.

When none came, I threw my fist against the wall and shouted, " _Widowmaker!_ "

Her voice came out weak, "I don't understand-"

"The chip, you _bitch_ " I scowled. " _What the fuck did you do to me?_ "

More silence before she finally spoke, "I was only following orders."

…

My joints seemed to creak as I slowly nodded. "When we rescued you from Talon… did they let us escape?"

"...Yes."

"...Did you know that I was going to be leading the mission?"

"Yes."

"You let us bring you back so you could kill Gerard." This one was more of a statement than a question.

"Ye-"

" _Is that all you can say?_ " I growled.

There was a pause before she answered, "...Yes."

I scoffed before wincing as I finally recognized the bullet lodged in my calf. I lowered myself to the ground, leaning my back against the wall.

"Of course you would say that." I let out a bitter laugh. A moment of silence passed before I took a breath.

"Why me?"

Her response was immediate, "Talon believed you were the best Overwatch member to be corrupted to join their organization."

I laughed at the absurdity of the whole situation, "Oh, well that's perfect. I wasn't even brainwashed because my skills. It was because I was gullible. That's just great."

"That's not what I m-"

I interrupted her, "I know what you meant." I rubbed my brows. " _Why_ didn't you tell me about this? No, actually, don't bother. That would've been stupid of you."

I sighed, before steeling my emotions and pushing forward. "Was this just an act then? All that talk about being partners and looking after each other?"

"No, I meant what I said about our partnership."

"How do I know you're not lying to me right now? To keep me working with Talon?"

"I suppose you will just have to trust me."

"That doesn't help." I deadpanned.

I could hear the frustration in her voice as she spoke. "I have never betrayed you in any way, or have you forgotten what I swore to you?"

I remembered, but I sat in silence before she spoke again.

" _À la vie, à la mort._ "

I nodded before a bitter memory resurfaced. "You swore the same thing to Gerard, but that didn't stop you then."

"Gerard-" She cut herself off. "What I did to Gerard was unforgivable. Every night, I am filled with guilt for what I have done to him."

My breathing became heavier. "You know he loved you."

"I know."

I scoffed as I shook my head in disbelief. "Did you ever really care about him?"

Her voice went cold, "Of course I did."

"But you lied to him."

"It was not my choice."

"Was it your choice to brainwash me?"

"I-"

I didn't let her finish. "Was it your choice to kill Mondatta?"

"..."

"Yeah… Yeah, it was. You're a killer now. After you killed Gerard, every death shaped you into who you are now. Every kill is your choice. Just like every kill is mine. I'm a heartless bastard who ruins families. I accepted that a long time ago. So, don't waste your time trying to convince yourself that Talon's the only reason you do fucked up things."

After a while of no response, I decided that she had moved away from the wall. Just as I started lifting myself upward as well, she spoke softly.

"You are not the man you say you are."

I froze as she continued. "Your heart has been twisted by the pain and manipulation of Talon. I admit I played a crucial role in your corruption. You can hate me for that if you wish. But your crimes are not your own."

I scoffed, but said nothing.

"Do you hate me?" There was no emotion in her voice, making it impossible to decipher her intention.

I wanted to say yes. To unleash my frustrations all these years on to her. To let her know that I resented her existence for every moment she made mine a living hell.

But did I really care that much? I only found out about the chip half an hour ago, and I was completely content with having Widowmaker as my partner. Having her by my side was comforting, even with the conditions we were in.

But I grit my teeth.

 _Tell her the truth._

I sucked in a breath.

 _She deserves to know._

I shut my eyes as I spoke.

…

"No."

"No, I don't hate you. As much as I want to, and I _really_ want to, I can't bring myself to hate you. Not when you've been by my side all this time."

Her voice was soft, "Gabriel…"

 _Don't call me that._

But I bit my tongue, as I waited in silence.

"Thank you."

At that moment, the sincerity in her voice was strong enough to give me an image I hadn't seen in years.

On the other side of this wall, I saw Amelie Lacroix, sitting with her back facing mine.

Just two soldiers whose lives would've been completely different if Talon didn't exist.

I looked forward with a sad smile, as the thought filled my head.

There we sat, for what felt like hours, with only our breaths filling the empty space of our cells.

Finally, one of us spoke.

"Reaper."

 _I see, back to business._

I inhaled deeply, before hardening my expression. "Yeah?"

"I hope you realize, we are likely to die in this situation."

A laugh escaped my throat. I shook my head as I massaged the bridge of my nose.

"Yeah… Think it's too late to say we're ready to turn a new leaf and be heroes again?"

"Odd. I never thought I would hear you refer to them as heroes." I could practically see the surprise on her typically stoic face.

"Oh please, people say anything to get out of shitty situations. Though, dying would be better than having to see Morrison's condescending face again."

I could hear laugh lightly from the other side of the wall. "Yes, I suppose so-"

She stopped mid-sentence, as I heard her hiss.

"What's wrong?"

No response.

"Widowmaker?"

…

"Ame-"

"I am fine."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Focusing back on the situation at hand, I spoke up. "What happened?"

I could hear her speaking through a tight jaw, as she said, "Hardly anything. I simply reopened a wound."

I furrowed my brow, "A wound? What-"

My words were cut short as the sound of the door opening filled the room. Two footsteps entered the vicinity. One heavy with intention, and the other light, as if nervous for some reason.

A disgruntled voice caught my attention.

"How's the bullet?"

I looked over my shoulder to see an overconfident Jack Morrison and a Lena Oxton, her gaze shifting between her commander and her prisoner.

 _Hurts like a bitch. Not that I'd let you know that._

I gave a forced smile, "Was a little uncomfortable, so I threw it away. Hope you don't mind."

The girl stopped fidgeting with the metal device on her chest and stepped forward, "If you're bleedin', we can call Angie to-"

Morrison cut her off by grabbing her collar and yanking the pilot back in line.

He spoke through a scowl, "That won't be necessary. I'll take care of it myself. Besides, he wasn't the one we got the alert from."

 _Alert? Not possible that they heard us. There's not enough of anything in these cells to serve as an audio device. Did someone break into the facility? Possibly, but then why would they come here? Did Talon find out where we'd gone? Not possible, Sombra made sure to leave no tracks. But then, what-_

" _Oh…_ "

I snapped out of my train of thought to see a Lena Oxton standing before the cell next to me. Her eyes were wide, her breath quivering, and she held a gloved hand over her mouth.

The armored man stepped forward and opened the door to the cell. However, neither of them moved.

Oxton's hesitantly turned her head to face her commander, though her eyes remained focused on the sight before her.

"I thought you said we'd send her to surgery right after Gabriel was patched up?"

I straightened up. _What were they talking about?_

Morrison shook his head, "There was an incident," He said, glancing over in my direction, "Angela wasn't able to perform on her at that moment."

 _Perform on her? Perform what, surgery?_

"How could you not make that a priori-?"

" _We're making it a priority now._ " His sharp tone silenced Oxton at once. "Now please help her to the doctor. Guards will escort you there in case she tries anything".

As the girl cautiously entered the cell adjacent to mine, I brought myself up to my feet, using the wall as a leverage.

 _Was she hurt? We were separated when I was captured, but she didn't give any signs that she was in pain._

My expression must've been too much for Morrison as even he lowered his gaze as I heard movement in the other cell.

 _She said she reopened a wound. How bad could it be? But then, what was the look on Lena's face? If it was that severe, why didn't they-_

My thoughts ceased entirely as the pilot came back into view.

My heart dropped.

In her arms was my partner.

Pale blue skin, long deep blue hair draped to the floor, and with all of her combat equipment removed, leaving her in just her skin-tight body suit.

And her arm…

I stumbled forward and nearly fell, catching myself with both hands on the glass.

 _Her arm…_

The flesh was ripped apart, most of it a charcoal black, as if scorched by a flame. The limb itself was mutilated in ways I'd only seen on the worst interrogation missions I'd undergone. Blood dripped from her countless open wounds to the steel floor we stood on.

Her body suit was torn all along her left side, gashes visible with clotted blood stains on the once vibrant violet suit.

…

I didn't know what to think. What to say. How to respond at all.

Before I could even process what I saw, Lena had already carried my partner out of the room.

For the short moment the door was open, I could see a troupe of guards waiting for her with a stretcher at the ready.

As she was wheeled down the hallway that seemed to descend endlessly, the door shut itself, obscuring my view.

…

Silence filled the air as neither of us said anything for a minute.

That ended as both of began to speak simultaneously.

"We tried our best to-"

"Are you an idiot?"

There was a pause before he responded. "We believed we could retrieve the most information out of-"

"So you thought, let's send the guy in and let the woman bleed to death. Is that right?"

I could tell he was starting to get annoyed. "She was treated on arrival. Our medical staff did their best to tend to her wounds, at least until the doctor could heal her entirely."

"And what the hell was so important that it took priority over an injury that severe?" _Is that not common sense? His head must've gotten fucked up in the blast if he doesn't realize how bad that shit was._

I scowled as Morrison seemed to wave off the concern, "You forget where you are, Reaper. You're not a member of Overwatch anymore. Our priority is always taking care of our own."

I stood there, ignoring the intense pain in my calf, staring at this masked man, just baffled.

"What is wrong with you, Morrison?"

He frowned, "I don't-"

"No, really. What is actually wrong with you? You hate me. I get it. The feeling is mutual. But how twisted do you have to be to let that stop you from paying attention to someone who's fucking _dying?_ "

He folded his arms, "I don't want to hear that from you."

"Well tough, boy scout. You're hearing it. I mean, really, I've done the tactic of letting a wound sit to loosen a guy's lips, but with this type of commitment, maybe _you_ should've been leading Blackwatch instead."

He stepped forward, letting his hands fall to his side. "Oh please, it's not like this is anything you haven't seen before. You kill on a daily basis, Reaper. What difference does it make if one more Talon operative is decommissioned."

"Have you forgotten? That Talon operative was Gerard's wife."

He scowled, " _Was._ Now, she's nothing more than a pawn for them to use." He paused before leaning in close, until he was inches away from my face. Only the glass wall separated us. "Just like you."

I wanted to throw my fist straight through that wall and cave that bastard's face in. And I would've if I didn't already know that was a fight I was going to lose.

I matched his gaze, "And did Angela know? No, I doubt it. She'd probably go through hell and back to treat a wounded, knowing her."

"Well, you don't know her." His voice was dripping with spite.

"Wanna bet? My guess is she finds out that you held this information back from her and stopped anyone from helping Lacroix. And when she does, you're going to be in for a shitstorm. So you had better go and explain yourself, before she starts coming up with reasons of her own."

He seemed to bite his tongue, before turning on his heel and storming out of the room.

Leaving me alone.

Again.

I closed my eyes, and listened to his heavy footsteps moving further and further away.

Until I was met with the all too familiar embrace of silence, with my wound becoming numb to the pain.


	20. To Life

There I sat. Alone, with a million thoughts running through my mind.

Try as I may, I found it impossible to regain my composure.

 _How am I going to get out of here? (Morrison's changed.)_

 _They've got too many new recruits for me to predict their weaknesses. (What happened to Widowmaker?)_

 _Why didn't she say anything? (I need a way to get information on them)_

 _What happened to that infuriating good boy attitude of his? (If only I'd succeeded on my last mission, I'd have that by now)_

 _You're getting emotional. (It's a flaw. You're flawed.)_

 _Someone's here._

I opened my eyes to see a girl in a bright yellow jumpsuit looking down at me from the other side of this glass wall.

She weakly waved her hand, like a child being caught doing something they shouldn't.

"What happened to Widowmaker?"

She attempted to smile, but the bags under her eyes gave her away. "Angie's performing surgery on her. Says she should be okay, but-"

" _Lena._ "

She flinched, but her sad smile lingered as she lowered her gaze and rubbed her arm.

"It was my fault. I- I panicked. Winston was attacking you.. I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't listen to me, and I tried to grab something- anything, really, to stop him. But I made a mess of everything, and my pulse bomb dropped, and I nearly got us all killed, and-"

"Stop."

She froze mid-sentence, her eyes beginning to water.

"Breathe."

There was a pause, as she stood there with her mouth agape.

 _Drip._

I blinked. Tears streamed down the cheeks of the usually bright pilot.

After a moment of silence, a laugh escaped her lips. She turned around, and quickly wiped away.

She straightened up, deeply inhaled, and breathed out.

I almost flinched with how quickly she turned to face me again. Her smile had returned, yet now had a familiar sweetness to it.

"Sorry bout that! Point is, the bomb nearly killed us. Amy dropped in and managed to pull it away from us," Oxton looked over her shoulder to where Widowmaker was taken. "But it detonated before she could save herself."

"Sounds unlike her."

"That's what I thought. But then, I think back to it. And I realized, that's exactly what Amy would've done, without a doubt."

I didn't respond.

"She might be different now, and maybe she doesn't remember everything that we did together. But I believe that deep down, the Amy I know is still there, fighting to come back to us."

At that moment, she looked at me with such genuine hope that I couldn't help but think she was talking about me.

And she almost convinced me too.

But the truth is, even if I could turn back time and stop myself from tearing Overwatch apart, I know that it would've eventually come to this.

I blame the chip, but it only really amplified how I already felt.

Morrison and I may have been close once, but we are on opposite sides of the spectrum.

Two sides of a coin.

I don't believe in fate, but if it did exist, fate brought the two of us together. And it ripped us apart all the same.

"Widowmaker is an assassin. If it felt like she was saving you, you're wrong. She made a mistake. Miscalculated and-"

"I know she wasn't saving me."

The look she gave me was almost as if she felt sorry for me. "She was saving you."

"I-"

"People aren't as predictable as you think they are. The world isn't black and white."

I raised a brow, curiously. She continued, "Even back then, when you were still one of us, everybody knew your methods were a little harsh. But I knew you were doing what you believed was right."

"I don't know what happened to you before I met you, what you've gone through to make you this way, but you're not as bad as you think you are. At least, _I_ think so."

I couldn't stop my laughter from the absurdity, "Is what you _think_ enough to bring back all the people I've hunted down?"

Shaking her head, "No, I'm not optimistic enough to believe that can happen. But I do believe that you can be brought back. Even if it takes a while and we have to fight each other on the way, I know one day, we'll be on the same side again."

I scoffed, "Blind hope will get you killed one day." She shrugged, "I'd rather have blind hope than no hope at all."

 _Hope is for people who can't get results with their own effort._

But I didn't say that. I knew it would only result in her staying longer than I care to have her around for.

 _Grrrrrrrr-_

I blinked. A hand instinctively shifted over my gut. The bright eyed pilot stared at me, surprised. As if she had forgotten that even the worst of people get hungry.

"Ah… oh! Let me get you something to eat."

And before I could say anything, she turned sharply and dashed past the door before it could even fully open.

 _I can't figure her out. Is she the same ditzy pilot from before, or has she been broken from the world?_

" _I know one day, we'll be on the same side again."_

I barely remembered my life before Overwatch. I hardly remembered my mother's name. I know I had siblings. Siblings that I had to take care of since my father wasn't in the picture.

But their faces are blank.

All I have are the memories, and even that is steadily fading.

I remember my mom standing there, looking down at me because I got into another fight with a kid. I remember he deserved it. But she was still disappointed in me.

I remember that kid though. He and his friends were laughing at my younger brother. So I found him when he was alone, at the top of the playset. He always went straight there whenever recess started, and stayed there until it ended.

So when he wasn't looking, I climbed up next to him.

And I shoved him off the edge.

I broke his arm that day, and I don't regret it.

I've always done what was right. Regardless of how people looked at me.

And in that way, maybe Blackwatch was perfect for me. The world would never see me as a hero. Not with what I've done.

They cling to their beliefs like it keeps them alive. And if they believe that I'm in the wrong,

Who am I to deny them of their life?

I was born to be the _bad guy_ , because nobody wants to root for the guy who understands that some problems can't be solved with words.

 _And Morrison…_

Morrison was born to be-

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the door open once more.

"Your body seems to be adapting well to the changes, Gabriel."

I flinched instinctually. I knew that voice. It had a slight Irish tone to it, yet remained chilling to everyone who heard it.

I turned my head to face the infamous doctor who experimented on nearly every soldier in the Blackwatch Initiative. She had her hands behind her back, with her eyes scanning me, almost as if they were breaking every inch of me apart into variables to be studied.

I raised a brow, "Moira O'Deorain. I'm surprised they let you back into Overwatch, considering how you were dismissed even before things started looking bad."

"Oh Gabriel, do you really believe I would let myself be coerced into cooperating with an organization that promoted the impairment in science?"

"No, I suppose not." I deadpanned. Straightening my back, I stood and faced the geneticist. "So, what brings you here? I assume you went through a lot of trouble to reach me."

"That I did." She sung, as she rested her shoulder against the glass. "But when I heard you were in town, how could I refuse?"

"Still haven't answered my question."

"Now, now, Gabriel. Is that any way to treat your only chance at escape?" As she said this, she stepped back and held her hands in front of her, revealing my confiscated outfit, mask and everything, folded and placed in a plastic wrap.

"I see. I would treat you better, but I know you enough to remember that you would always want something in return for you help. So, what is it, Moira?"

She spoke to me in that cold, calculating tone I had grown accustomed to. "You see, Gabriel." I hated when she called me by my name. "Life in the pursuit of science is a lonely path to take. Now, I admit, when I was enrolled in the Overwatch Initiative, I had all the company I could ask for, and more. Though I grew tired of most of that company, I find myself longing for the intimate interactions of those who truly _interested_ me. And you, my sweet Gabriel, have _interested_ me." A smile crept on her face. Now, I might've considered it genuine and charming if I didn't know the cruel intent that hid behind the expression.

I sighed, "Moira, if you want to experiment on me in exchange for my freedom, I'm afraid you're too late. Another doctor already beat you to it."

" _Yes!_ " She hissed, "I am aware. That _parasite_ had been leeching off of my research for years, and I never knew. I made sure to keep it under high security, but when a self-righteous organization refuses to search its members for Talon spies, some insects seem to slip through."

She nearly spat venom with every word she spoke. Catching herself, she adjusted her lab uniform, and changed tactics. "That being said, I could never forget you, Gabriel."

She spoke with such sweetness that it almost sickened me. "You were my _first_ , and that has always stuck with me. The fascination of watching your warbound body withstand nearly every experiment that I performed had me on the verge of euphoria. And since you'd been missing for years now, my heart grows cold without you."

My voice grew monotone. "I find that hard to believe."

"Believe what you will, Gabriel. Your company is one that I couldn't imagine myself living without. And on top of that, I find out that you're in cohorts with one of the world's technological giants, Talon? An organization that doesn't care about regulations and morals- Rather, an organization that would allow me to reach the pinnacle of my scientific career?"

"With company like that, my progress would never fall stagnant." And she softened her voice to a whisper, "And if I happen to find the leech who took you away from me, then that is only a bonus."

I looked at my mask resting in pale hands. My fingers twitched, desperate to feel it resting on my face, where it belongs.

I licked my scarred lips and glanced up to see Moira staring back at me expectantly.

"So, let me get this straight. In return for my release, you want me to let you join Talon and experiment on time to time. Is that right?"

"Oh yes. You've always understood me so well."

 _I suppose that's something to be proud of._

My gaze flickered back to the mask, and my resolve steeled. "Alright, get me out and everything Talon has is yours."

" _Excellent._ " Her grin had returned.

"Oh and one more thing." I placed a hand against the glass. "There's a blue skinned woman that just left this room."

"Yes, I vaguely recall passing by her on the way here." Her tone drastically changed to a monotone as she seemed far more interested on her nails.

Scowling, "Yeah, well, you'd better remember her face cause she's a member of Talon too. And right now, she's under surgery for nearly blowing her arm off."

She glanced in my direction, giving me a blank stare. "And how is this meant to interest me, Gabriel?"

"It should interest you to know that she's the best shot in Talon. Arguably, the best assassin they have. And here's something else. She's been genetically altered by the same parasite who worked on me." This grabbed her attention. "Releasing me means nothing if we can't complete our objective. So, you focus on getting her out while she's out there, and it'll make things a lot easier for me."

Moira gave an exasperated sigh, and said, "Gabriel, what exactly is your relationship to this-"

"Did I mention Mercy was there?"

She stopped mid sentence. " _The_ Doctor Ziegler? The very same who-"

"The very same who had you released because of your _unethical_ -"

"There was _nothing_ " She snapped, " _Unethical_ about my research." Smoothing her hair back, she regained her composure, "She merely feared the results of progress in such a short timeframe. I doubt even she could deny my discoveries."

"Exactly. And right now, she's working on my blue skinned partner in the ER. So, I'm thinking, you go and help her escape when nobody's looking, and maybe when we all get back to Talon, you get to work on perfecting her genetic alterations and do what that parasite doctor could never do."

Her eyes narrowed, as her smile widened. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing right now, Gabriel. Abusing my hatred for both Ziegler and that leech to manipulate me into following your will."

The corner of my lip twitched, "I-"

"Luckily for you, your intention still aligns with my goals. It will merely add an additional step, but I suppose this is expected in the pursuit of scientific discovery." With that, she turned and walked away, as so many before her had done. But I called out to her before she passed the door.

"Wait." She stopped. "When you get Widowmaker out of there, tell her to call Sombra. We'll need the help if we want to get out of this alive." She nodded slightly and continued, walking until the door shut, obstructing my view.

 _Her appearance was unexpected, but this couldn't have worked out better._

I could practically hear the gears in my head turning as I began formulating a plan.

 _I've waited long enough. The opportunity is here. I'd be an idiot to ignore it._

 _But first,_

Widowmaker's face flashed in my mind. The image quickly changed to her being carried out of the room. Finally, I remember seeing this beautiful, pale blue skinned woman, standing by my side through everything. From my first mission to now. And I remember her words that saved me that day.

 _I will protect you, Reaper._

 _À la vie._

 _À la mort._

…

…

It's time I returned the favor.


End file.
